The Cure, “Primary”

There are a lot of those cornerstone bands that smart people with good taste are supposed to like and the Cure is one of them. Unfortunately, I was born too late to be there when it mattered but early enough to witness their embarrassing reunion-era fluctuations. Because of this, my misconceptions about the Cure were effectively identical to those I had about Morrissey and the Smiths: that they were bands led by bloated, self-serious lead singers making music for feeble, self-serious people. Someone could have just played “Primary” and saved me some time.  

Masato Nakamura, “Emerald Hill Zone”

1 player, duh.

I have a pretty vivid recurring dream where I’m a music journalist and get to interview Glenn Danzig. Danzig, it should be noted, is not too keen on discussing his Misfits days and feels that he’s advanced musically since.

Anyway, in the dream, we have a long conversation about his current musical endeavors, and we talk a lot about his middle period (I have a big, weird soft spot for Danzig II) and then I let him talk about his “classical industrial” stuff and comic books until I’ve got him sufficiently buttered up. Then, miraculously, I manage to ask him what “138” alludes to in this Misfits classic and he actually tells me.

Only… every time I wake up, I never remember the phrasing of the question, or his answer. I just remember that I’d gotten it out of him, somehow.

So I guess that makes it a nightmare.

The Kinks, “Waterloo Sunset” 

Everything about brunch is pretty annoying (especially people who love it). Go ahead and skip the $15 egg dishes, stricken waiters, and tables full of shrill girls. Instead of all that, wake up, make yourself a drink and listen to this. 

I guess what I’m saying is, brunch sucks. But that doesn’t detract from my love of “drinking in the morning” music.

Everclear, “Everything to Everyone”

I bought a lot of bad records as a tween but this one I can’t even explain. I’m sorry. At least it’s not “Father of Mine.”

The Damned “Don’t Cry Wolf”

The Damned famously hate this album, Music For Pleasure.  I guess the story goes that they were gunning for Syd Barrett to produce it (awesome!) but had to settle for a non-Syd Barrett member of Pink Floyd (not awesome).  Tough break, Damned, but even though it’s no Damned Damned Damned or Machine Gun Etiquette, the record still doesn’t completely suck.  Don’t be so hard on yourselves.