Qualler Visits the Classics: Mark's Amazingly Spectacular Megatunes, Vol. IV

It's summer (and I'm using "it's summer!" as an excuse to do pretty much anything and everything this year) and you know what comes with summer, besides sunshine, beaches, beach balls, baseball, cookouts, and more: summer organizing. And, as a result of some summer organizing, Brigitte and I re-discovered many of the CDs that I had buried underneath a bunch of other crap. One of my best discoveries was the six-volume compilation I made between 1997 and 2001, titled Mark's Amazingly Spectacular Megatunes. A few facts about these compilations:

1) I did not make them "for" anybody other than myself. Nope, not for girls, even. (Ha! Girls!)
2) They were not inspired by the Now That's What I Call Music series (though this revised blog feature is very much inspired by Nathan Rabin's excellent blog series "Then That's What They Called Music!" over at The AV Club.)
3) Each volume featured custom-made art made by me via MS Paint featuring a slightly different guy I painted with a monochromatic background.

Vol. IV expands the tracklist from 14 tracks to 20 tracks and cranks up the alt-rock stylings times ten. It also contains the first hints of my musical taste that would eventually evolve to where it is now -- stodgy and artistic and pretentious. Still, this is mostly "the hits."



The Lemonheads, "Mrs. Robinson"
It's a Shame About Ray
Why it was included: Its inclusion in the film Empire Records is well known. I was also going through a bit of a Simon and Garfunkel phase.
What memories this song currently elicits: Rocking out, pretending to be doing it with Liv Tyler and Renee Zellweger from Empire Records.
How the song holds up today: Evan Dando's cover is a surprisingly raw-sounding (at least, production-wise) cover that still sounds pretty alright.



Superdrag, "Sucked Out"
Regretfully Yours
Why it was included: Superdrag were one of what I would call post-geek rock bands to crop up after Weezer stopped being popular to the masses.
What memories this song currently elicits: This video (above) is particularly striking for the way the lead singer is first working at a fast food restaurant, then PUSHES THE STUFF DOWN LIKE NOBODY'S BUSINESS.
How the song holds up today: Still an efficient, fun slice of geek rock that still gets me amped up for going for long marathon-training runs.



Elastica, "Connection"
Elastica
Why it was included: Girl rawk + synth + Brits = a slice of 90s alt-rock heaven.
What memories this song currently elicits: Not much about the actual song, but I know that singer Justine Frischmann was Damon Albarn of Blur's girlfriend until they broke up, which led to arguably Blur's greatest album, 13. (Hmmm, I'm gonna have to listen to that one again today. "Tender" is still good.)
How the song holds up today: This song could still be on the Radio K charts, as it's a perfect blend of straight-up pop and slightly-edgy attitude. Golden!



Gin Blossoms, "Follow You Down"
Congratulations, I'm Sorry
Why it was included: I wanted to keep the mood of the compilation up. Also, I didn't have any Gin Blossoms songs on any other compilations.
What memories this song currently elicits: Sadly, my most vivid memory of the Gin Blossoms is when I saw them play at Riverfest in La Crosse, WI, in 2002 or 2003, long after their heyday, and with none of the slightly uncomfortable edge that the late Doug Hopkins gave them with hits like "Hey Jealousy" and "Found Out About You". They kept talking about how the cops were chasing them around on jet skis on the Mississippi River, and I cried.
How the song holds up today: Well, it's not nearly as good as "Hey Jealousy" because its relentlessly sunny melody is not offset by relentlessly dark lyrics. But, the lyrics in this one are a little more dark than I thought, though more like a ripoff of "Hey Jealousy". "Hey Jealousy" is good!



Bloodhound Gang, "Fire Water Burn"
One Fierce Beer Coaster
Why it was included: It's a joke song, sorta! Also, it says M-F in the actual version, instead of the "hee-haw" side effect I had previously heard on the radio.
What memories this song currently elicits: I am looking at the CD, owned by BQ (Big Qualler, aka my older brother), and noticing that the CD is actually designed as if it were, indeed, One Fierce Beer Coaster.
How the song holds up today: Pretty despicable, and a symbol of everything I hate about suburban culture. Raise your hand if you sang along to the "We don't need no water, let the motherfucker burn" line and knew that it was originally from a George Clinton song and/or were not thinking about how it was great to mock hip-hop music. DESPICABLE! Still kinda like the lyric about Frank Black, though: "So if man is five, and the devil is six, then that must make me seven / This honky's gone to heaven." Wait, he called himself a honky, which is also despicable. ARGUKSDFHLWKFJWELFR. I wish I could tell 17-year-old Qualler not to listen to this garbage.



Marcy Playground, "Sex and Candy"
Marcy Playground
Why it was included: The mood was taken down a little more mellow from "Fire Water Burn", so it was an appropriate time to drop this Pavement-lite smash single on y'all.
What memories this song currently elicits: Man, I really wanted to like this song more than I did. I mean, I wanted to really love this song. But then I heard actual music by Pavement, and I pretty much dropped this one.
How the song holds up today: Again, it's pretty remarkable that music like this was hugely popular at one time -- rock music that sounds spare and kinda boring. So, in that respect, it holds up decently, because it doesn't sound all that dated.

Stone Temple Pilots, "Crackerman"
Core
I skipped this one because it is so terrible. Please don't listen to this song, ever; just listen to "Vasoline" instead.



The Refreshments, "Banditos"
Fizzy, Fuzzy, Big and Buzzy
Why it was included: STP (which was only included on this comp because my parents told me I couldn't buy their album Core but I borrowed it from someone else and wanted at least one track from that album) brought the mood up, and it was time to drop another hit.
What memories this song currently elicits: I remember my friend Ross telling me something about a song where they sing about Capt. Jean-Luc Piccard, and that sounded like it'd be a genius song.
How the song holds up today: It's pretty dorky, even for my standards. But, it's also relentlessly fun, in the same mold as Free Energy of today -- straight-up fun. And yes, they sing about Jean-Luc Piccard.



Jewel, "Hands"
Spirit
Why it was included: For the sole reason of being before the track that comes after it. (Also, I liked Jewel.)
What memories this song currently elicits: Seeing Jewel read her poetry from one of her poetry books at the Mall of America. Spoiler alert: her poems suck! (Also, I liked Jewel.)
How the song holds up today: Pretty god-awful, but fantastic for over-the-top karaoke versions. Watch the actual "Touched by an Angel"-inspired video and be prepared: your hands might try to poke out your eyeballs. (Also, I liked Jewel.)



The Vandals, "Jilted John"
Why it was included: It was a hilarious song! Also, my friend Ross sang it a lot about a guy we knew named Gordon who he did not like very much. And, it was hilarious to put this song right after the totally overwrought Jewel (whom I did also like.)
What memories this song currently elicits: See above.
How the song holds up today: Turns out, The Vandals did not originally perform this song, so the song above is the original version by the British "Weird" Al, Graham Fellows. Overall, enjoyable.

Marcy Playground, "Saint Joe on the School Bus"
Marcy Playground
I'm bypassing this song on account of being a second song from the same album. Also, this song commits the penalty of Flagrant Use of the Flanger pedal. Just wait for the flanger; it'll kill you.

Kara's Flowers, "Myself"
Fourth World
Why it was included: Post geek-rock was at its highest point by this band that would later become Maroon 5.
What memories this song currently elicits: Wishing Weezer sounded more like this; also thinking to myself, "Man, this guy sounds a lot like a Muppet!" Then, a few years later, when I would hear "Harder to Breathe" by Maroon 5 for the first time, I thought, "Man this guy sounds a lot like a Muppet!"
How the song holds up today: Man, Maroon 5 could have been the greatest geek rock band of all time. Instead, the dudes in the band went to college and "discovered hip-hop" and became lame. Sad. This is still a good song.



Fastball, "The Way"
All the Pain Money Can Buy
Why it was included: After a string of minor hits and trifles, I had to drop a mega-hit on y'all.
What memories this song currently elicits: This was another song that I think I really wanted to love, but couldn't totally love, but I didn't know why. Now I know why: it's kind of a boring song. (Side note: are the late-90s the era of Dudes With Rob Thomas haircuts? First the guy from Superdrag, then the guy from Fastball? Weird.)
How the song holds up today: Erm, it's perfectly mediocre. I still don't know why this was such a huge hit, though.

311, "All Mixed Up"
311
Snooze. Next.



Crash Test Dummies, "Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm"
God Shuffled His Feet
Why it was included: One could not get through a compilation from the 90s without including this song. It pretty much defines the 90s, even more than Barenaked Ladies' "One Week" does.
What memories this song currently elicits: Hearing this for the first time and finding out it was not a "Weird" Al song was mind-bending!
How the song holds up today: I listened to this to this again not long after watching the Lost finale and it made me feel extremely wistful and spiritual. Listen to the final minute and you'll know what I mean. Weird, huh?

Fastball, "Fire Escape"
All the Pain Money Can Buy
Snooze. Next



311, "Down"
311
Why it was included: I'd had enough pussyfooting around, so it was time to bring the rawk.
What memories this song currently elicits: After initially hating this band, my cross country teammates broke me down enough to grow to like 311. Although, I think I respected them a lot more than I liked them (until they released that cover of that song by The Cure, which was downright awful.)
How the song holds up today: For being part of that rap-rock movement in the late 90s, this song is surprisingly efficient and pulverizing. Not pulverizing in a Refused way, but pulverizing in a modern rock kinda way. All in all, this song is still pretty good.

The Refreshments, "Down Together"
Fizzy, Fuzzy, Big and Buzzy
Still the most hilariously dumb album title ever. But, we're gonna skip this one, too.



Tori Amos, "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
Crucify EP
Why it was included: I thought it was kinda funny that anybody would cover this song in such a stately, dramatic way, but I was also kinda captivated by it.
What memories this song currently elicits: Ross told me about this hilarious "Smells Like Teen Spirit" cover by this weird chick named Tori Amos, so I had to hear it. It was downright puzzling.
How the song holds up today: Well, Nirvana has aged extremely well, and likewise, so has this song. And, this version of the song strips away the alt-rock stylings of the original for what it is -- a remarkably simple yet complex pop song in a minor key. Actually, quite good. Quite.



Sublime, "What I Got"
Sublime
Why it was included: You gotta finish a comp with something more upbeat than that "Smells Like Teen Spirit" cover! (Also, you gotta love Mojitos! Am I right?)
What memories this song currently elicits: Hearing this for the first time on the alt-rock satellite radio station that the local classic rock station picked up every Sunday night. Sunday nights really were for alt-rock back in the day with that radio feed, combined with MTV's 120 Minutes. It was a good time.
How the song holds up today: The message of this song seemed trite when I was 17, but feels a lot more appropriate at 27, at an age where when I bend over, I involuntarily make a grunting noise (usually something like "aghhhhhhhhh!" or "unnnhhghhghghhh!") Because, life is too short! So love the one you got! Cuz, you might get run over, or you might get shot! Not gonna deny it -- I genuinely love this song.

Qualler Visits the Classics: Mark's Amazingly Spectacular Megatunes, Vol. III

It's summer (and I'm using "it's summer!" as an excuse to do pretty much anything and everything this year) and you know what comes with summer, besides sunshine, beaches, beach balls, baseball, cookouts, and more: summer organizing. And, as a result of some summer organizing, Brigitte and I re-discovered many of the CDs that I had buried underneath a bunch of other crap. One of my best discoveries was the six-volume compilation I made between 1997 and 2001, titled Mark's Amazingly Spectacular Megatunes. A few facts about these compilations:

1) I did not make them "for" anybody other than myself. Nope, not for girls, even. (Ha! Girls!)
2) They were not inspired by the Now That's What I Call Music series (though this revised blog feature is very much inspired by Nathan Rabin's excellent blog series "Then That's What They Called Music!" over at The AV Club.)
3) Each volume featured custom-made art made by me via MS Paint featuring a slightly different guy I painted with a monochromatic background.

My recaps start with Volume III not because of some lame George Lucas-style reasoning in starting with a volume in the middle but mainly because Volumes I and II are actually mostly just songs from the Singles soundtrack and the compilation that came out in the mid-90s featuring songs from the TV show Friends. Volume III is the first one to contain the hits that hit me the hardest between the ages of 15 and 20.

How I plan to review this compilation, and Vols. IV-VI throughout the rest of the summer, is by recollecting the reasoning for including the song on the compilation, digging through the memory banks and pondering the thoughts that come through my mind when I hear the song, and reporting back on its purported quality as I hear it today. I hope you have as much fun with this as I am having. With all that said, below is the tracklisting. Enjoy.

Goldfinger, "Here In Your Bedroom"
Goldfinger
Why it was included: That style of ska-tinged punk rock was all the rage with my friends when I was in 9th grade, and I somehow obtained a copy of this song despite the record being one of those Parental Advisory records.
What memories this song currently elicits: This song really makes me reminisce, not in a necessarily great way, about sweaty teenage dudes with bleached spiky hair when I was a young'un. Dudes that I sorta hung out with, but not totally directly.
How the song holds up today: Still pretty fun to crank the volume to while running or while driving with the windows down.



Cake, "Never There"
Prolonging the Magic
Why it was included: It was one of those semi-hits by Cake that also worked as a great second track on a compilation, especially with the dial tone that leads into the timeless "I need your arms around me, I need to feel your touch" lyric.
What memories this song currently elicits: I remember hearing this song on the local alt-rock station in the La Crosse, WI area, 105.5 FM "The Buzz" (which is no longer an alt-rock format) and considering it a pretty awesome and pretty smart song.
How the song holds up today: It's still moderately clever, with the lead singer's sing-talking. Hearing this song one too many times in a row brings a lot more sugar buzz than it did when I was 15.




Bad Religion, "21st Century (Digital Boy)"
Stranger than Fiction
Why it was included: It was another song in the line of "edgy" alt-rock that was on the fringe of being popular. Bad Religion was one of those bands that kept almost getting a big breakthrough to the mainstream.
What memories this song currently elicits: Actually, this doesn't make me remember anything in particular, other than maybe recommending my bandmates to listen to it (albeit most likely unsuccessfully).
How this song holds up today: This holds up really well! It's still a slice of blue-collar pop-punk that is more serious-minded than the Blink 182-style pop-punk that dominated Vols. IV and V (more on those later) yet still a little tongue-in-cheek. And, the lyrics still hold up today.




Fountains of Wayne, "Radiation Vibe"
Fountains of Wayne
Why it was included: Before the Grammys awarded Fountains of Wayne with the "Best New Artist" award in 2003, Fountains of Wayne was one of those geek-rock bands in the vein of Weezer who were, also, in 1997, a popular "new" artist. So, I included this song (and another from this album) on the compilation.
What memories this song currently elicits: I have to reach back so as not to be confused with the memories specific to the Welcome Interstate Managers days in 2002 and 2003, but waht I conjur up is riding around in cars with my friends with the windows rolled down and rocking out to FoW's now patented tongue-in-cheek (or is it?) hippie worshipping via catchy choruses and big sweeping lyrical motifs.
How this song holds up today: This is still a pretty alright song. And I mean that -- it's still perfectly "alright." Nothing groundbreaking, but not terrible. I wouldn't push it out of bed, metaphorically speaking.



Barenaked Ladies, "One Week"
Stunt
Why it was included: Um, have you HEARD this song?! It is the most obvious hit song that represents what it meant to be a hit song in the mid-to-late 90s, maybe ever.
What memories this song currently elicits: This brings on one of those inevitable parent-kid crossovers, which I think happened. One, because the band is named Barenaked Ladies, which is definitely not something kids should be listening to (except for those parents who understood that it was a joke name, cuz the guys in the band are totally not barenaked ladies) and two, because it is one of those timeless, catchy, constantly-repeated songs. You can't escape it.
How this song holds up today: Well, considering Brigitte and I have been singing it to each other 24/7 since I first re-introduced it to her, I guess it still has the power to overtake one's life. Please also note the insanely 90s-esque video above, featuring the one singer guy who kinda dances by bobbing up and down a lot during the chorus and the other guy wearing a zoot-suit with a leopard print open collared shirt underneath. Oh the 90s, how I do not miss you. (Side note: Are these guys the biggest nerds in alternative rock history? Perhaps so.)



Meat Puppets, "Backwater"
Too High to Die
Why it was included: This is total grunge cred, especially after Nirvana covered a few songs by the Meat Puppets on their Unplugged session, and to add some cred to this compilation, I added this song.
What memories this song currently elicits: This song reminds me of staying up from 11:00 pm to 1:00 am watching 120 Minutes on MTV on Sunday nights and totally digging Matt Pinfield's sweaty-dude yammering about what cool music is.
How this song holds up today: Total snoozefest. It is the first surefire "skip" when we listen to this compilation in the car. Everything about it, from the lackadasical singing, to the sorta-Nashville rhythm and harmonies, to the way-too-bendy guitar solos, makes me just feel sleepy today.



The Cardigans, "Lovefool"
First Band on the Moon
Why it was included: After that brief cred-building detour with the Meat Puppets, we return here to the hits, and this was among the biggest hits of its era. And, I really needed some songs sung by a chick!
What memories this song currently elicits: All I can think of is commercials, though I'm not entirely sure if that was because it was featured in commercials in the 90s or if it was later in my life. I also vaguely remember how smokin' hot the singer was. That's Scandinavia for ya.
How this song holds up today: It can definitely be played next to other songs like Camera Obscura's "The Sweetest Thing" in the line of Songs That Sound Superficially Really Happy But Actually Contain Really Depressing Lyrics. And for that, I give The Cardigans extra points, because now this song works on a 90s nostalgia trip and as a genuinely fun and clever tune.



Eve 6, "Inside Out"
Eve 6
Why it was included: Keep the hits COMING! I needed more songs in this vein, the kind where I really liked the radio singles (you know, the ones played on 105.5 "The Buzz") but subconsciously knew the rest of the album probably wasn't all that great.
What memories this song currently elicits: Riding in the back of a bus, after a Cross Country, or Knowledge Bowl, or Math Team (yes, I was in Math Team) meet, singing the chorus to this song, and its climactic final go-through of said chorus. I'm pretty sure it happened more than once, Mathletes singing along to a song that talks about being tied to bedposts.
How this song holds up today: Still pretty goddamn catchy, even if today the song is just a little too in love with itself with lyrics like "SoCal is where my mind states / But it's not my state of mind." They don't make choruses like this one anymore, do they? Anywhere? (I'm sincerely asking, because I don't think pop-rock choruses are nearly as wordy as this one is these days.) Also please note the extreme 90s-ey music video above, complete with constantly re-focusing cameras, monochromatic walls with holes shaped like hearts cut out, and the lead singer wearing one of those hemp necklaces.




Rage Against the Machine, "People of the Sun"
Evil Empire
Why it was included: I had a few bigger, more mainstream, radio hits in a row, so I had to pulverize my (that's right, my!) eardrums a little bit.
What memories this song currently elicits: I remember feeling like I did care about the socio-political ramifications of Rage Against the Machine's music, but then not really understanding anything about them, other than "Rally round the family / with a pocket full of shells" meant something about how families probably shouldn't be around pockets full of bullets.
How this song holds up today: Now, Rage Against the Machine's second album Evil Empire sounds a lot more phoned in than it did to me when it first came out. These days, I like "Killing in the Name" much more.



Jane's Addiction, "Been Caught Stealing"
Ritual de lo Habitual
Why it was included: Around this time of my life, I learned that, before Porno for Pyros, there was this band that the guy from Porno for Pyros was in called Jane's Addiction. (Ba-dum ching! Get it? Cuz, I came of age after Perry Farrell's more popular band had already run its course and I, at the age of 16, only knew him from his lesser-known band Porno for Pyros. I think Chris is the only one who laughed. Sorry, everyone else.)
What memories this song currently elicits: I don't have anything specific that pops into mind, other than feeling really dirty, like literally, full of dirt. I have no idea why, other than maybe I'm repressing some memory involving rolling around in dirt and hearing this song. I dunno, man.
How this song holds up today: I really can't stand Perry Farrell's voice at all, so it doesn't hold up all that well. Also, when I played it in the car the other day, our dogs started barking at the barking dogs in the song and then tried to climb into my lap when I was driving, so that makes me feel retroactively more crabby about this song than usual.



Tonic, "If You Could Only See"
Lemon Parade
Why it was included: It fell in line with the need to have hits. I also needed some more ballads, and this one was pretty powerful as a ballad.
What memories this song currently elicits: Again, I'm not sure if this really happened at some point, but sitting in a Wal-Mart parking lot and listening to the radio. Somehow, that is really fitting. Also, more abstractly, I remember feeling like I knew exactly what what he meant when he said "If you could only see the way she loved me / then maybe you would understand / why I feel this way about our love, and what I must do." Because, come on, dudes! A woman's love is important to a man; so vitally important, that the man must become a whiny, melodramatic wimp that no woman could ever actually love.
How this song holds up today: Still good, but in a totally hilariously overwrought way, from the constipated way the guy sings the opening line, to the whiny-but-totally-serious way he presents his love problems. I would add this to my karaoke rotation if the guys voice wasn't so high and whiny. (Side note: there are waaaay too many sincere covers of this song on YouTube. Come on dudes, quit the covers.)



Sebadoh, "Too Pure"
Harmacy
Why it was included: My friend had an older brother (who was also friends with friend of The Blogulator Old Man Duggan, who runs the excellent blogs, Inconsiderate Prick, Royalscentricity, and Munch My Benson and who was definitely cooler than my friend and I and yet was willing to share the music he was listening to with us. One of those bands was Sebadoh, and this was one of the songs that my friend got me hooked on.
What memories this song currently elicits: This song reminds me of raiding my friend's brother's room with my friend while he was somewhere else and checking out CDs that I had only heard of from Rolling Stone magazine, like this one by Sebadoh. This song is definitely an entry point to my further interest in indie rock. Fun times, indeed.
How this song holds up today: Well, Lou Barlow is a freakin' genius, and he's proven it in Dinosaur Jr., Sebadoh, and even Folk Imposion (One Part Lullaby is a totally underrated gem! Think I'm gonna have to listen to that album again soon!), so it holds up very well.



Nine Inch Nails, "Down In It"
Pretty Hate Machine
Why it was included: Instead of ending with a super happy tune, I wanted to end with what was then a radio classic, back before Nine Inch Nails was totally super dark and were just sorta dark. Also, 105.5 "The Buzz" played this song a lot in the late 90s.
What memories this song currently elicits: Listening to The Buzz and hiding the copy of The Downward Spiral from my parents that I obtained via trading CDs with one of my friends in high school.
How this song holds up today: I am surprised and, frankly, a little pleased, to know that this actually just sounds a lot like Joy Division / New Order but more catchy. I always kind of wished Trent Reznor would stop being so dark so he could be recognized as the artist that he is, but this kinda fits well for him.

Coming next month: Mark's Amazingly Spectacular Megatunes, Vol, IV -- where the alt-rock classics get amped up to 11, and I start making jokes with my mix sequencing.

Qualler Visits The Classics: The Best Television of the '00s: Everything Ends

To borrow a marketing campaign from the great Six Feet Under...everything ends. Decades end, seasons end, television seasons and series end. The '00s end as perhaps the best decade of television of all time, in terms of breadth and depth of programming. And, rather than pontificating on the greatness of television one more time, I simply present to you, a set of clips, some season finales, some series finales, of some of the best, (or, in the case of Dawson's Creek,at least notable) programs of the decade.

Everything...ends.

Six Feet Under, regardless of what you think of the series (too soapy! Not a realistic reaction to death! Wah wah wah!) ended in a most memorable way. I bawled my freaking eyes out.



Meanwhile, The Sopranos ended its six season run as different from Six Feet Under as possible...and in hindsight, just as perfectly.



Meanwhile, The Wire wrapped up quite neatly...some people happy, some people not so happy, but life goes on, right?



Dawson's Creek also ended this decade. I watched this with Blogulator friend and Qualler roommate Paal in college, and...this is still as easy to mock as it was back then. (Hey, I didn't say they were all good.)



Oh my God, this show, re-watching the climactic clips, could have been so great. In hindsight, it probably didn't deserve to go on for more than two seasons, but holy shit what great art direction and mythology. They shoulda hired Stephen King as a plot consultant.



I talked about The OC's series finale last week, and I urge you to watch the last seven minutes if you haven't yet. Srrsly, it ended great and without any of the soapy silliness that marred its second and third seasons.



Also, did you know ER was still on for most of this decade? Yeah, the series finale was pretty ho-hum.



Finally, a curtain call.

Hello, 2010.

Qualler Visits The Classics: The Best Television of the '00s: A Non-Ironic Tribute to The OC

Back in 2007, when The OC went off the air for good, Chris and I went off on a half tongue-in-cheek, half sincere tribute to the series, highlighting the highs and lows of its four year run. In 2007, irony was still quite vital and not quite as dead as it is today, so our tribute was ripe with contradiction: yeah, we liked The OC, but, heh, it was kinda dumb that we watched it, too, and, heh, it's not a prestigious show so it kinda deserved to be cancelled.

Looking back at my attitude about the show and having re-watched portions of the first two seasons recently, I can say with certainty that The OC is a a show that defines the '00s more than the prestigious Mad Mens of the world do. Perhaps this show defined our generation because we saw ourselves in the world they lived in -- sure, hyper-real, but defined by our love of music, pop culture, melodrama, relationships, and witty banter between friends.

Rather than waxing intellectual on the merits of The OC (Daniel Fienberg does a much better job of it at HitFix, not to mention Alan Sepinwall's book Stop Being a Hater and Learn to Love The OC (a great idea for a Christmas gift to Qualler if you haven't shopped for me yet!)), I simply present to you clips of the series that immediately spring to mind to demonstrate the inherent watchability of the series. Yes, that even includes the "shark-jumping" third season and never-really-watched fourth season.

In the below clip, from the first season, our heroes see the band Rooney play live. In 2004, we lived in a world where fictional worlds demonstrated Rooney playing to a sold-out, totally hyped up audience.

Later, in the second season, Seth Cohen somehow wrangled a dinner with George Lucas, via his graphic novel, in which Lucas discussed with Seth why it is important to go to prom, because it is a "great American tradition". Also he mentioned how he used to draw Ewoks in class in high school. I think we all know that's a total lie.

Hey, this is random and weird, but did you know people have made "AU" versions of what happens in The OC, and "AU" stands for Alternate Universe? Kinda like fan fiction but via video editing. Be prepared to be creeped out.

This plotline, the aforementioned graphic novel plotline, is, in retrospect, a lot more entertaining and clever than I gave it credit for. Besides the meta references to the show's own standing in its fans eyes, it's full of clever insider stuff in the entertainment industry. Favorite line, regarding the proposed TV show based on the graphic novel "Atomic City"

Soulless TV exec: This time next year, why not, "Atomic County", TV show?
Seth: Ooh, that's not so bad. Are you talking about, like, animation, or, like, live action?

Soulless TV exec: Why not a hybrid?



Who can forget the season two finale where Marisa shot Ryan's brother Trey? Pretty effing dramatic, and pretty wonderful for popularizing the heartstring-pulling song "Hide and Seek" by Imogen Heap, spawning one of Saturday Night Live's better Digital Shorts, and indirectly influencing the song "What You Say" by Jason Derulo?

Finally, did anybody actually watch the series finale besides me? Because, in retrospect, it's probably one of the best series finales of the decade. And yes, the final few moments also made me cry a little.

In the end, prestigious shows like Mad Men get all the hype at the end of an arbitrary time period like this one (granted, the hype is extremely warranted), but shows like The OC will be forever more comforting and more easily watchable. Whether the whole attitude of the series will be as hopelessly dated as a show like Beverly Hills 90210 is to us now (the original version, kids, not the crappy CW version) is moot: The OC is us, and we are The OC.

Qualler Visits the Classics: (More of) the Best Episodes of the Decade, aka Qualler Cries

One of the things that turned the pop cultural tide toward the boob tube for me was the advent of episodes of dramatic shows that made me cry at some point. Best, yet, were episodes of shows where things happened that I didn't forsee happening via internet spoilers. After last night's surprisingly shocking, and, yes, tear-inducing season finale of Dexter, I tracked Twitter updates on the #Dexter trending topics for the remainder of the evening. Hey, folks who are upset about being spoiled at the episode -- if you don't wanna be spoiled, don't go on the internet! Or, read magazines, or talk to people.

Okay, maybe in this day in age, where people talk about TV on the internet like nobody's business, it's pretty difficult to occasionally avoid those spoilers. Especially in this era, when west coast Twitter followers of Indy Car driver Danica Patrick were inadvertently spoiled to the contents of this episode. But for every big moment that makes you cry in your fave episodes of shows (like, for example, last night's shocking season finale of Dexter), there are always some moments that get buried in the hype, the tiny moments that make the emo TV watchers out there cry harder than they did at the end of Ratatouille (so inspirational! If a mouse could be a chef, anybody could be a chef!)

The Wire - "Alliances", Season 4 Episode 5

October 8, 2006

Written by Ed Burns

Story by David Simon and Ed Burns

Directed by David Platt

Dukie: There's no special dead...there's just dead.

There are plenty of places on the interweb to read about the greatness of The Wire, the rare show that can't be hyped enough, that despite the superlatives often tossed its way, is fully deserving of all of them. And, there are plenty of places on the interweb to read about the greatest moments of the series' run, especially the big, memorable moments, usually occurring in the penultimate episodes of each of its five season. But the fifth episode of my favorite season, season four, is especially heartbreaking, in its small moments bookending the episode. Dukie, Randy, Michael and Namond, discussing their thoughts on the strange people who walk through their neighborhood, and the missing people from their neighborhood, and come up with the theory that some of them are not really dead, but "special" dead. When they discover that the missing people are just plain dead, the moment is so simple and so heartbreaking at the same time. Loss of innocence happened many times throughout the run of the series, but it didn't happen more devastatingly than this episode.

Sons of Anarchy - "Balm", Season 2 Episode 10
November 10, 2009

Written by Dave Erickson and Stevie Long

Directed by Paris Barclay

Juice: This charter is your home.

In this turning point episode that aired this season, protagonist Jax is at the end of his rope, about to leave the Sons of Anarchy club, disgusted by the direction the gang had taken, to embrace violence and get away from all of the peace that his father tried to bring to the club so many years ago. His adopted father (and gangleader) Clay straight-up tells Jax that he wants him to leave. Things are looking grim. Then Gemma, Jax's mom, tells Jax and his "old lady" Tara (Brigitte, I'm gonna start calling you my old lady!!!) the terrible secret that she's been hiding throughout the season, in a small, touching scene where a slap of the table brings more emotion than a thousand gunshots could ever bring. Jax ends his bad attitude, embraces his step-father and his mother, and puts his true colors back on. Fitting, then, that this ep was directed by the great television director Paris Barclay, who has been behind so many small moments in a series that is pretty much just made up of small moments, In Treatment. Which brings me to the third episode on this recap...

In Treatment - "Sophie: Week Eight" Season 1 Episode 38 (!!!)

March 19, 2008

Written by Sarah Treem

Directed by Paris Barclay

Who says "small moments" have to be tragic? Although the second season of this show is more consistent (and, definitely one of my favorite seasons of a show of the decade), and although so much of this show is about small moments of darkness in one's life, Sophie's conclusive episode (who, yes, was the most intriguing patient in season one) was one of personal strength and personal victory. Her father, who had such a negative impact on her life for so many years, was rendered powerless simply by using the words that occasionally good therapist Paul Weston (Gabriel Byrrrrrne!) coached her to say. Catharsis can be a powerful, good thing. And when season two patient April made a callback to the trials and travails of Sophie (also penned by Sarah Treem), the power and impact of Sophie's choice was sharpened even further.

Qualler Visits The Classics: The Best Television Episodes of the '00s (Part I - Midseason Masterpieces)

I've got to face the facts...television has slowly but surely usurped music as my pop culture movement of choice. I can pinpoint the preference change to the first time I started watching The Sopranos on DVD. Sopranos on DVD lead to finding episodes of Six Feet Under online, then ordering via Nerdflix multiple television series at a time, to my current diet of 5 or 6 ongoing series saved on the DVR at a time. Unhealthy obsession? Perhaps. But, the '00s have been a fantastic decade for television. Whether my obsession formed because of the great quality of scripted television or because I just got a lot lazier in listening to music, television is a good friend of mine now. So, for the next month, I will be detailing my favorite episodes of my favorite television shows of the decade. Because lists are so totes arbitrary, these shall be presented three at a time, in no particular ranking order.

Nip/Tuck – “Rose and Raven Rosenberg”, Season 2 Episode 9
August 17, 2004
Written by Brad Falchuck and Ryan Murphy
Directed by Elodie Keene

Sean: She's not giving up. She can survive...she can survive on her own!



Leading up to this decisive episode, the plastic surgery tag team of Sean McNamera and Christian Troy were facing a serious dilemma. Sean finally learned that Matt was his son with Julia, Sean’s wife, and Sean memorably punched Christian in the face in the surgery room, memorably telling him “I loved you the most.” In this episode, the doctors perform what is to be their last surgery, a pro-bono split-up of Siamese twins Rose and Raven Rosenberg. Naturally, in classic early Nip/Tuck fashion, the case-of-the-week comes to represent the state of our central characters. Turns out, splitting the Siamese twins causes complications for both, and our protagonists come to realize that they, also, cannot survive without each other. So how do the twin docs The way they resolve their problems? They hire a prostitute that looks like Julia whom they have a threesome with. When both twins end up dying, the docs put them back together posthumously, sewing them back together “as God intended them to be” as their mother stated, and sewing together their partnership. Sounds ridiculous on paper, but the way it played out on the small screen was a shockingly touching (if a touch over-the-top) testament to the strength of true friendship and the bonds of family.

Big Love – “Come, Ye Saints”, Season 3 Episode 6

February 22, 2009

Written by Melanie Marnich

Directed by Daniel Attias



Yes, this series about a polygamist family reached its apex (as of today) earlier this year in this mid-season episode in which the Mormon family went on a cross-country trip to follow John Smith’s spiritual trek. By focusing on the family throughout the episode, we get a few sprinkles of everything that makes the series great – the entertaining, occasionally hilarious interaction between the three sister wives, the yearning for finding oneself in the kids, and the spiritual journey of Bill Hendrikson. Bill finally reaches the end of their trek, having missed the passion play but watching an angel float up to the sky, in one of his most yearning times. And Sarah finally lets the rest of the family know about her pregnancy when she loses the baby. At the end of the episode, the family pulls over to the side of the road and embraces her together. Through all the hectic times in which the family forgets to connect, they embrace when they realize they all need each other the most. I cried.

Six Feet Under – “The Room”, Season 1 Episode 6
July 8, 2001
Written by Christian Taylor
Directed by Rodrigo Garcia

Nate, Sr: That's one of the perks of being dead...you know what happens after you die. And, you know the meaning of life.
Nate, Jr: That seems fairly useless.
Nate, Sr: Yeah, I know. Life is wasted on the living.



Although the later seasons of HBO’s Six Feet Under are more dramatic and probably more memorable, the simplicity and dark comedy of the first season is difficult to top. In this episode, Nate Fisher, Jr., learns about the room that his recently passed father used to rent out under mysterious circumstances. In classic fashion, Nate imagines his conversation with his dad, wracking his brain for any evidence he could think of that he really loved him. Nate Sr and Nate Jr's interaction (played as well as ever between the great Richard Jenkins and the more-than-capable Peter Krause) displays the always hard to convey feeling that one feels about someone whom you can never have a second chance with. Meanwhile, a funeral takes place at Fisher and Sons, in which an old man talks about his wife who passed away in her sleep talks about their last years together with David. “That’s love,” he says, after describing cleaning up her accident at the movie theater in the days leading up to her death.

Qualler Visits the Classics: The Fiery Furnaces, "Blueberry Boat"

(NOTE: This is another part of my sorta-informal Best Albums of the Decade list. The one album featured so far was The Fire Theft's self-titled record. Here's yet another one of my faves.)

I'm probably not unique in the fact that my music development went through a few different stages in my life. I was introduced to music through Sesame Street and a couple of cassette tapes that my dad made me of his Beatles and Beach Boys vinyl stashed in the basement. (I thought, when I was three-years-old, that the Beach Boys were the coolest band ever, and The Beatles were a little corny.) I started listening to the pop radio station, where I totally dug Paula Abdul's "Opposites Attract" and hated "Stand" by R.E.M. (Again, Abdul with her cartoon cat duet partner in that music video totally cool, R.E.M. way too corny.) In elementary to middle school, I started to realize that to be a real "dude" I should be into rock music. The epic third LP by Pearl Jam, Vitalogy, was one of my first true album obsessions, with its unusual-to-an-11-year-old musical detours into accordian and sound-collage ("Bugs", "Hey Foxymophandlemama, That's Me"). Radiohead's OK Computer was the logical modern step forward from the Pink Floyd stuff that I was also listening to around the same time. From about 1997 to 2001, my musical development basically consisted of non-stop discovery of new and interesting ideas that I didn't know could exist in music.

By the time I got to college, being inundated with like-minded music nerds meant I was listening to new music nonstop, new bands, new sounds. Yet, in that hip way that only a college student can successfully pull off without really seeming like a jackass, little of that music gave me that same sense of joy that I felt the first time I heard OK Computer, or "Hey Foxymophandlemama, That's Me", or, okay, "Opposites Attract". That is until I heard The Fiery Furnaces second album, Blueberry Boat.

Blueberry Boat - The Fiery Fur...

I was walking home from a long, frustrating session of computer programming at the U of M's computer lab back in 2004, feeling like my brain was total mush, frustrated that all the different lines of code made no sense to me, when I put this recently purchased compact disc into my player. The opening strains of the title track sounded like a kaleidescope of orderly confusion not unlike how my brain actually felt at the time. It was a total revelation -- music with crazy time signature changes, bleeps-and-bloops, lyrics about pirate ships full of blueberries, oh and wicked awesome shredding on the guitar, Keith Moon-esque drum fills, heartfelt emotion, and an overall sprawling nature reminiscent of those pretentious double-albums that I totally dug more than actually warranted back in the day. Finally, this music gave me that same new-discovery type buzz that I had been lacking, that the mundane nature of my computer programming had been beating out of my brain.

The joys of this album, though, come out the most through repeated listens. And I listened to this album repeatedly. Soon enough, the lyrical genius of the Friedbergers (Matthew and Eleanor) shined through, the rapid time signature changes didn't seem as jarring, and the album began to flow a lot like those albums that I obsessed over. The epic ten-minute opener "Quay Cur" takes Eleanor's cutting voice and (I think) speeds it up just a little to make it sound just a little otherworldly. But it's the rapid-fire acoustic blues guitar riffage that really puts the song into another stratosphere. The most straight forward rocker on the album "Straight Street" also features about 1 1/2 minutes of haunting organ / violin action that crept into my head. "Chris Michaels" really piles on the aforementioned Keith Moon-esque drum fills; it works as an homage and a reinvention of classic rock. As the album goes on, more and more of these moments that at first sound like the most confusing thing ever end up melding totally into my head.

It's great to discover music that makes you feel alive like this album does, or mid-90s Pearl Jam did, or, alas, Paula Abdul and a cartoon cat did back in the day. And I can think of no other album in the 90s that filled me with as much joy and excitement as this album. It doesn't hurt, either, that the musicianship is outstanding and the lyrical content is witty and clever. Blueberry Boat, then, is definitely a Qualler classic of the '00s.

Qualler Visits the Classics ('00s Album Edition): The Fire Theft, The Fire Theft

The '00s were, in general, not a great decade for the heroes of the mid-90s indie rock scene. After bands like The Promise Ring and The Dismemberment Plan broke up, each band had members starting new projects, to various critical and commercial success. (I love Maritime but clearly their influence was not as strong as Das TPR.) The (at the time remaining) members of Sunny Day Real Estate, after bowing with their highly underrated final record The Rising Tide, went somewhat separate directions, Dan Hoerner contributing to the Dashboard Confessional EP So Impossible (you know, the one where they sing about how he tried on his blue shirt, which she told him she liked it once) while Jeremy Enigk reunited with Nate Mendel and William Goldsmith to form The Fire Theft. Some might lump The Fire Theft in that batch of Bands In '00s That Formed From The Ashes Of A Better Band, but I disagree. (And now that Sunny Day Real Estate seems to be reuniting in a glorious way, as evidenced by their spectacular live show at First Avenue in Minneapolis last Wednesday and reviewed by Chris here, what better excuse to revisit this fantastic album?)

The Fire Theft's single album is a logical progression from the ashes of Sunny Day Real Estate (which, bee tee dubs, stopped sounding really "emo" in their second album way back in 1995) to a sound that could only be described as "spiritual, not religious." Opener "Uncle Mountain" immediately introduces the listener to the fact that four-chord guitar assaults will be taking a backseat to majestic-as-eff strings, bombastic guitar soloing, slightly over-the-top vocal stylings, and a hint of, alright, prog-rock (i.e. Genesis-style). Things don't get any less prog-gy with "Oceans Apart" and "Chain" while "Summertime" and "Houses" deliver the straight-forward poppiness that bring the record back down to earth. Centerpiece "Heaven" (hey! Also Brigitte and Qualler's first dance at their wedding!) takes a plaintive piano and gorgeous vocal stylings (did I mention that Enigk's voice is at its most bangable on this album?) to new heights. "Rubber Bands" brings a new breed of guitar-driven rock to the album, an almost entirely instrumental song that drives the tension to new heights. The pop stylings of "It's Over" deliver yet another great straight-forward rock song with those epic elements. The record closes on "Sinatra", the most bombastic and over-the-top song of the album, which closes on a 10-minute meditative ambient outro.

Naturally, without actually hearing the sounds of the record and/or not having any kind of feeling of personal connection to the material, one could say that my above description sounds like a pile of garbage. Of course, as all you music nerds know, the power of a record speaking to one's self can overpower all else.



First, my lovely wife / co-blogger Brigitte and I met for the first time at one of their concerts way back in 2003. It was at the concert that I first heard the majestic, new-age emo stylings of "Heaven", a song I immediately bookmarked in my mind as a favorite. It was there, too, that I met my future wife for the first time, an awe-inspiring mixture of "whoa, me likey this girl" and "um, how do I interact with her during this loud rock show?" made all the more fun and exciting on the bus-ride home when Blogulator's Chris, Brigitte and I discussed the merits of the Pollywog with a homeless man. Concert + meeting your future wife = automatic love for the music.





NOTE: The above songs are mistitled -- they are actually "Houses" and "It's Over", respectively.

But my love for this record doesn't end there. Singer-guitarist Jeremy Enigk, with his well-documented drama, never has been one to settle into a comfortable living. Through the two (and maybe now three?) runs he had with Sunny Day Real Estate, the option had to be there to quit pushing his music forward artistically and record some crowd-pleasing music. Not the case here -- it seems that his music has always been about finding meaning. Nowhere is this more prevalent than this record -- with memorable lyrics that are stuck in my head in the times I need them most ("And I can grab hold of love if you want it", etc). It was especially powerful one evening while I was in the midst of a frustrating time when I was failing on the CPA exam. I was running around the local chain of lakes at night when the uplifting opening beats and lyrics of "Sinatra" seeped into my headphones. I ended my run after having picked up the pace and feeling totally uplifted. The closing ambient tunes that I took in while while stretching on the grass and looking at the moonlit, silent lake brought a feeling of great peace.

Thus, The Fire Theft's self-titled record is one of my favorites of the '00s, and a new Qualler Classic.



NOTE: The above song is actually "Sinatra".

Qualler Visits the (Cult) Classics: Showgirls

While this feature was minted a few months ago with the intention of covering my most favorite albums of the "aught" decade, I decided to throw a few new wrinkles into it. Inspired by Chris' buzzworthy take on The Single Finest Film of Our Generation, my weekend viewing of one particularly notorious film inspired me to take on that other side of cinema -- the cult classic. When one thinks of "cult classic", one's mind will likely drift to those "awesomely bad" movies, like Troll 2 orThe Room -- those that are so outrageously cheesy, poorly acted, and unintentionally hilarious. But generally, those types of films are so low budget and/or obviously put together by people with limited talent that it's easy to understand what truly went "wrong". When a film is outrageously cheesy, poorly acted, unintentionally hilarious, AND features a $40 million budget, AND was written by Joe Eszterhas, who at the time was Hollywood's most highly sought-after screenwriter, AND was directed by Paul Verhovean (RoboCop, Total Recall, Basic Instinct) with such skill that certain passages reminded this viewer of obvious masterpieces of the '90s like GoodFellas and Boogie Nights, one has to take a step back and truly ponder what just happened on the screen. That film, my friends, is a little film called Showgirls.

In my Short Fiction Writing class in college, my teacher often harped upon the fact that most stories are either "come to realize" stories or "fails to realize" stories. Showgirls is the first story I have ever experienced in which the central character neither comes to realize, nor fails to realize anything. Fearlessly portrayed by Saved by the Bell's Elizabeth Berkley, the film's central character Nomi experiences a range of events, which, seen in fragments seem to go somewhere, but put together in a central narrative, actually go nowhere whatsoever. The opening scene is a thrilling cold open in which she hitches a ride with a stranger to Las Vegas, pulls out a knife, almost gets the guy to crash his car, and displays what seems to be a truly interesting and mysterious edge. Then her character actually gets to Las Vegas and...becomes a good girl. Out of nowhere, she vaguely references the fact that she has some real talent at doing nails and has hidden talent at dancing and just needs the right training and...then just starts professionally dancing. Then her character hints at the fact that she won't have sex with a man until she's really in love, and...then she sleeps with her boss when she gets promoted to a higher-class show. She hints at the fact that she has no family and, in fact, has a truly interesting scene where she goes through a job background check and reveals to the audience that her parents are dead, she doesn't know her social security number, and had a few prior arrests...and then nothing else really happens.



These kind of plot developments are incredibly frustrating, because I truly believe that this could have been a truly special film if screenwriter Eszterhas spent a few hours re-writing the script. My theory is this -- Eszterhas and Verhoeven walk into the MGM / United Artists studio with an outline to a film, the first true entry into NC-17-rated mainstream adult film, a film epic in scope, self-assuredly sleazy but perhaps smart enough to include a critique of America's materialistic and narcissistic culture, with a central anti-hero who demonstrates the central flaw in our quest for fame. It could be the pitched as the dance/rags-to-riches genre pic for the Grand Theft Auto generation. The studio heads love this, are ready to give these guys whatever they want, having demonstrated that they have the goods to deliver a big box office hit, coming off the success of Basic Instinct. Then, the guys get lazy. They keep talking about touching up the script...meanwhile, Eszterhas and Verhoeven kept putting off said touch-ups, not realizing that they had a total clunker outline of a script until they started shooting. By then, they realized the only way to salvage the film was to throw in random lesbianism, non-erotic erotic sex scenes, brutal, senseless violence against women, and dance scenes straight outta Flashdance (fitting, since Eszterhas also wrote that screenplay.)



A true shame, because the production value of the film is outstanding. One particular sequence, in which Nomi gets onstage at the Las Vegas Stardust show for the first time, is breathtaking (see YouTube clip above) -- the camera follows her up the stairs backstage and tracks her running frantically, chaotically, from a distance surely looking completely in control but from so close looking totally out of whack. I would even argue that the shot argues the famous tracking sequence in Scorcese's GoodFellas. Of course, the problem is that NOTHING BAD ACTUALLY HAPPENS!! This is pretty much the case with everything that happens. Nomi develops a rivalry with Crystal Conners (hammily played by Gina Gershon) that starts as mutual admiration, turns violent, and then ends with lesbianism (naturally!) She also sleeps with the boss (creepily and sleazily played by Kyle "Agent Dale Cooper" MacLachlan), almost gets fired from the Stardust show, and then...doesn't really have any consequences. The viewer keeps get stringed along, dazzled by the outstanding cinematography, entertained by the sleazy one-note characters (remember, if this was truly a genre pic, that would be a benefit!!), with no payoff in the end. None.

I don't want to spoil the ending for you, because if you consider yourself a pop culture conniousour, I strongly believe that you should experience the ending without advance knowledge. Needless to say...it's noteworthy. And is only going to cause you to think, "What the (*@$ were they thinking giving this screenplay a $40 million budget?" Saying the above things of course fails to mention the other notable things about the film, namely Elizabeth Berkley's strangely spastic dance moves, truly cringe-worthy dialogue involving breasts and dog food, references to things that are never followed up on, and more. I have a hard time calling this film a complete failure because of the things that make it so close to being a truly great film. And sometimes colossal failures are more interesting than boring failures. That's why I highly recommend, without a doubt, Qualler's first (cult) classic -- Showgirls.