Monday, January 05, 2004
Year in Review, Part One
Might as well, hey? After all, it's not like I should be packing or anything. I've decided to do a Best Of list. So here's some of the best things of this year:
BEST JOB:
Editor of the Antioch Record. Man. Wake up at 1PM, roll into the office and play video games while answering the phone, then every Wednesday and Thursday work my ass off all night. Then Friday morning go to my search committee meeting with no sleep and growl at the slow people. That was the life. Except for the huge racial controversy I had to work on without bias.
BEST ALBUM THE RECORD COMPANIES WANT ME TO KEEP BUYING:
The Clash's first album. First of all, there are two versions, the UK and US. The UK version has four really good songs that aren't on the US version, but the US version has White Man In Hammersmith Palais, which is my favorite Clash song. So really, there should be two versions. Then I keep having one and losing it. Twice now, it has simply disappeared, including once this April. I still don't know what version to replace it with.
BEST MOVIE:
I only saw three movies in theatres this year, I think. X2 wasn't that great. But I don't want to have to choose between the other two. So I'm gonna say the best movie I saw this year was Pirate Return of the Caribbean King. Orlando Bloom will be very confused.
BEST SHINY OBJECT:
My new laptop. Heeheehee.
BEST ALBUM:
Speakerboxxx/The Love Below from Outkast. This album shouldn't have been this good. Take a duo at the height of their creative powers, riding a couple of hits, to create both critical and popular expectation for this album. Then make it a double album. With each side done by one half of the duo, so it looks like a breakup is imminent. It looks like it has the potential for being a White Album level disaster - a mess with a few good songs and a lot of dicking off.
But somehow they managed to do it. Both albums are fantastic. With a little bit of work, a little bit of collaboration, and a little bit of editing, they could have been put together to create possibly the Best Album Ever.
And oh yeah. Speakerboxxx is just as good as The Love Below. I swear to god. Just go listen to it. Actually listen to it!
More later. Or maybe not.
Might as well, hey? After all, it's not like I should be packing or anything. I've decided to do a Best Of list. So here's some of the best things of this year:
BEST JOB:
Editor of the Antioch Record. Man. Wake up at 1PM, roll into the office and play video games while answering the phone, then every Wednesday and Thursday work my ass off all night. Then Friday morning go to my search committee meeting with no sleep and growl at the slow people. That was the life. Except for the huge racial controversy I had to work on without bias.
BEST ALBUM THE RECORD COMPANIES WANT ME TO KEEP BUYING:
The Clash's first album. First of all, there are two versions, the UK and US. The UK version has four really good songs that aren't on the US version, but the US version has White Man In Hammersmith Palais, which is my favorite Clash song. So really, there should be two versions. Then I keep having one and losing it. Twice now, it has simply disappeared, including once this April. I still don't know what version to replace it with.
BEST MOVIE:
I only saw three movies in theatres this year, I think. X2 wasn't that great. But I don't want to have to choose between the other two. So I'm gonna say the best movie I saw this year was Pirate Return of the Caribbean King. Orlando Bloom will be very confused.
BEST SHINY OBJECT:
My new laptop. Heeheehee.
BEST ALBUM:
Speakerboxxx/The Love Below from Outkast. This album shouldn't have been this good. Take a duo at the height of their creative powers, riding a couple of hits, to create both critical and popular expectation for this album. Then make it a double album. With each side done by one half of the duo, so it looks like a breakup is imminent. It looks like it has the potential for being a White Album level disaster - a mess with a few good songs and a lot of dicking off.
But somehow they managed to do it. Both albums are fantastic. With a little bit of work, a little bit of collaboration, and a little bit of editing, they could have been put together to create possibly the Best Album Ever.
And oh yeah. Speakerboxxx is just as good as The Love Below. I swear to god. Just go listen to it. Actually listen to it!
More later. Or maybe not.