Chapter 10: Fun that is fun

Self-consciously avoiding starting work on my next paper.

Maybe it will surprise you to hear this, or maybe nothing surprises you anymore anyway (in which case you're kinda like me.) There are times when I just don't want to listen to any of my music. I consider my musical tastes pretty well-cultivated... it's not that I'm into a bunch of obscure bands that I think represent my personality with their imagery and brutal instrumentation. I just like good music. Don't have the time or space for indy cred. Beatles, Stones, Who, Aerosmith, Clash... these are bands I can listen to on and on and on theoretically without tiring. And yet sometimes I tire. My iPod, while encompassing virtually all of the music I could see myself wanting to hear, only has space for 450-500 songs, and you know, it wears. I go through my playlists and think "...do I really wanna hear that again?" It doesn't stir anything within me, after a while, and needs to rest.

So to that end, I have found a new kick. I am a man of kicks. I'll get into a few songs by a certain artist for like two weeks and that will get preferable treatment and I'll wear it out until I lose interest and go back to the general pool of my listening material. My kick right now? Weird Al Yankovic. I once overheard Mark, my former colleague at HMV, describe Yankovic as "the most consistent artist of the last 20 years." While I wouldn't go that far, he does some good stuff, especially those polka medleys I love so much. Upon closer examination, the only Yankovic songs I have on my iPod are his medleys, and a select few of his originals. No parodies. That's pretty damn strange. He's done some damn good ones - "Smells Like Nirvana," "White & Nerdy," various others... I had many Yankovic compilation albums as a kid and they were loaded with parodies, collections like "The Food Album" and "The TV Album." But I find his originals - style parodies - more compelling because I think he has to reach further for the subject matter, which allows him more creativity. Granted they have a less high success rate, but the good ones tend to be better.

Anyway, this has supplanted some of my more traditional listening, because it is inherently upbeat and offers a broad range of sonic qualities besides. I think every 7-year-old should hear about pop music from Weird Al. Not only will he learn about the big stuff like Nirvana and Madonna and Michael Jackson, he'll hear about less enduring targets like Men Without Hats and El Debarge and Presidents of the United States of America. Actually, I love Presidents of the United States of America, but their time was brief.

So yeah. Today I started back at HMV. It was a decent day, although I probably ought to have eaten before I started. I basically just did re-stocking and occasionally filled in on register and acted all separate from the regulars. There were only a few people in - two people I'd gone to River Oaks with, one I worked with in 2006, and a girl I hadn't met before I came back. When she noticed how sure I seemed about the cashing-out process (although I needed a refresher,) she asked if I'd worked here before. "I'm just awesome," I told her. Or something. Like most times when I meet someone, I went into "so lame I'm cool" mode. It seems to work.

I dunno, the day was an uninteresting blur. In a few weeks I'm sure I'll be accumulating daily anecdotes about how rough the life of an HMV salesguy is. Well it was a lot more interesting when it was new and there was the sneaking suspicion Lindsay hated my guts (in the final analysis I don't think she did.) She's not around anymore. I ain't got anyone to be a-feared of. This will probably end up being very casual for me.

Yet another fairly aimless entry. It could be saved with a really awesome joke or story or pondering.

But I've got nothin'.

Keep on rockin'
-Scott