Tuesday's Playlist (06-01-10)

Modest Mouse- “Black Cadillacs”
Tom Waits- “Singapore”
Flight of the Conchords- “Hurt Feelings”
Foals- “Alabastr”
New Order- “Dream Attack”
U2- “Elvis Presley and America”
Bear in Heaven- “Drug a Wheel”
Elton John- “Your Song”
Baroness- “A Horse Called Golgotha”
Wham!- “Blue (Live)”
Tears for Fears- “Pale Shelter (Extended Version)”
James Murphy- “Dear You”
Iron & Wine- “Waitin’ for a Superman”
Q-Tip- “You”
Harvey Milk- “Roses”
Buffalo Springfield- “Broken Arrow”
David Bowie- “Silly Boy Blue”
Tindersticks- “Sexual Funk”
Arthur Brown- “Fire”
Sigur Rós- “Med Sud I Eryum”
Wilco- “Pieholden Suite”
Nada Surf- “Janine”
Classics IV- “Spooky”
Mew- “Repeaterbeater”
Kermit the Frog- “Rainbow Connection”
Radiohead- “Subterranean Homesick Alien”
Yo La Tengo- “More Stars Than There Are in Heaven”
Elton John- “Sisters of the Cross”
David Bowie- “Jean Genie”
Haircut 100- “Love Plus One”
The Beatles- “I’m Happy Just to Dance With You”
Bon Iver- “Flume”
Jay-Z- “Face Off”
The Trash Can Sinatras- “January’s Little Joke”
Spoon- “Vittorio E”
Grizzly Bear- “Southern Point”
The Lightning Seeds- “Pure”
Sea Wolf- “Orion & Dog”
Band of Horses- “Laredo”
Liz Phair- “Polyester Bride”
Madonna- “Celebration”
The Whigs- “Need You Need You”
Tom Waits- “Since I Fell For You”
Travis- “Indefinitely”
The Jam- “The Bitterest Pill”
Colin Meloy- “We Both Go Down Together (Live)”
Radiohead- “The National Anthem”
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club- “Going Under”
Radiohead- “Life in a Glass House”
RJD2- “Smoke and Mirrors”
Elton John- “Amoreena”
Ricky Nelson- “I’m Walkin’”
Pete Escovedo & Sheila E.- “The Ballad of the Sun and the Moon”
Liars- “Here Comes All the People”
Madonna- “4 Minutes”
Funkadelic- “You and Your Folks, Me and My Folks”
Lilys- “Mistery School Assembly”
The Lonely Island- “Normal Guy”
My Brightest Diamond- “Queen”
Durutti Column- “Mirror B”
Big Star- “For You”
Kanye West- “Gold Digger”
Albert Hammond- “It Never Rains in Southern California”
Gwen Stefani- “Hollaback Girl”
Scissor Sisters- “Do the Strand”
Dum Dum Girls- “Baby Don’t Go”
Morrissey- “I’d Love To”
Doves- “Words”
New Order- “Confusion”
The Magnetic Fields- “Walk a Lonely Road”
The English Beat- “Monkey Murders”
Calexico- “Wave”
Danger Mouse- “Justify My Thug”
The Strokes- “The Modern Age”
The Swell Season- “If You Want Me (Live)”
R.E.M.- “These Days (Live)”
Harlem- “Number One”
Bell Biv Devoe- “Ain’t Nut’in’ Changed!”
The Senate Arcade- “Tourist”
Sebastian Tellier- “Fantino”
Doves- “Catch the Sun”
Neko Case- “I Wish I Was the Moon”
Dusty Springfield- “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me”
Beulah- “Comrade’s Twenty Sixth”
Frankie Goes to Hollywood- “Watching the Wildlife”
Health- “Triceratops (Acid Girls Rmx B)”
The Decemberists- “The Rake’s Song”
Nine Inch Nails- “Just Like You Imagined”
Björk- “I Go Humble”
Wilco- “Nothing’severgonnastandinmywayagain”
Ra Ra Riot- “Ghost Under Rocks”
INXS- “Do Wot You Do”
Peter Gabriel- “Start”
Bright Eyes- “We Are Nowhere and It’s Now”
The Beatles- “Octopus’s Garden”
The Beatles- “Only a Northern Song”
Can- “Pinch”
Creedence Clearwater Revival- “Down on the Corner”
Jónsi- “Sinking Friendships”
Graham Nash- “You’ll Never Be the Same”
Rufus Wainwright- “Cigarettes & Chocolate Milk”
Stricken City- “Tak O Tak”
Ricky Nelson- “Old Enough to Love”
Nirvana- “Swap Meet”
Paul Weller- “Lullaby für Kinder”
Serge Gainsbourg- “Ah! Melody”
Phoenix- “Lisztomania (A Fight for Love 25 Hours a Day Mix)”
Clem Snide- “I Got High”
Queens of the Stone Age- “The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret”
Big Star- “Stroke It Noel”
Elton John- “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”
Gorillaz- “19-2000”
Les Savy Fav- “Hello Halo, Goodbye Glands”
The National- “All Dolled”
Rufus Wainwright- “This Love Affair”
Blur- “To the End (Live)”
Tindersticks- “The Other Side of the World”
BLK JKS- “Paradise”
Stricken City- “Bardou”
Future of the Left- “Team:seed”
Elton John- “My Father’s Gun”
Passion Pit- “Better Things”

Monday's Playlist

Yes, I had to work on Monday, so I made the most of it with this shuffle, which seemed heavy on the covers of 80's tracks.

Gorillaz- “Lil Dub Chefin”
Atlas Sound- “Criminals”
Tears for Fears- “Broken”
The Psychedelic Furs- “Heaven”
Erasure- “Hallowed Ground (Live)”
Japandroids- “To Hell with Good Intentions”
New Order- “Mesh”
Guided By Voices- “Chasing Heather Crazy”
Spandau Ballet- “Chant No. 1 (I Don’t Need This Pressure On) (12” Version)”
The Rolling Stones- “Sweet Black Angel”
Garbage- “Cherry Lips (Roger Sanchez Remix)”
Frank & Moon Unit Zappa- “Valley Girl”
Richard Hawley- “Some Candy Talking”
Free Energy- “All I Know”
Prince- “Sign O’ the Times”
Dusty Springfield- “When the Lovelight Starts Shining Thru His Eyes”
Talk Talk- “Talk Talk”
CSS- “Let’s Make Love & Listen to Death from Above”
The Dismemberment Plan- “Come Home”
Dusty Springfield- “Mockingbird”
Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson- “Search Your Heart”
Bigbang- “One Step at a Time”
Grizzly Bear- “Fine for Now”
Radiohead- “True Love Waits (Live)”
The Dan Band- “ABBA Medley: Mamma Mia / Fernando / Waterloo”
Haysi Fantayzee- “I Lost My Dodi”
Richard Hawley- “Soldier On”
Seefeel- “Acrobat”
New Order- “Doubts Even Here”
The Killers- “Believe Me Natalie”
Nick Cave & Warren Ellis- “The Journey (from ‘The Road’)”
The Cardigans- “Erase & Rewind”
Les Savy Fav- “Reformat (Live)”
Red Sparrowes- “A Mutiny”
ELO- “10538 Overture”
Prince- “When Doves Cry”
Lorraine Ellison- “Stay With Me (Baby)”
X-Clan- “Funkin’ Lesson”
7 Worlds Collide- “Duxton Blues”
Nouvelle Vague- “Ca Plane Pour Moi”
Grant-Lee Phillips- “The Killing Moon”
U2- “Numb (Gimme Some More Dignity Mix)”
Edith Piaf- “La Vie en Rose”
Radiohead- “Killer Cars (Live)”
Led Zeppelin- “Misty Mountain Hop”
Portishead- “Sour Times”
Kings of Convenience- “Power of Not Knowing”
Oingo Boingo- “Sweat”
The Senate Arcade- “Yo Tengo Ambien”
Gorillaz- “Clint Eastwood (Phi Life Cypher)”
The Jam- “It’s Too Bad (Demo)”
‘Til Tuesday- “Sleep”
Dirty Projectors- “Depression”
OK Go- “What To Do”
Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova- “The Swell Season”
Otis Redding- “Rock Me Baby”
Supertramp- “Breakfast in America”
Animals- “Pretty Thing”
Garbage- “Only Happy When It Rains”
Tom Waits- “Red Shoes”
Torche- “Triumph of Venus”
Beastie Boys- “Heart Attack Man (Live)”
Richard Hawley- “As the Dawn Breaks”
Prince- “Raspberry Beret (12” Version)”
José González- “Time to Send Someone Away”
D’Angelo- “Send It On”
Tom Waits- “Time”
The Bird & the Bee- “I Hate Camera”
Rival Schools- “Grunge Model”
Kings of Convenience- “Me In You”
Haysi Fantayzee- “Sister Friction”
New Order- “Bizarre Love Triangle”
Jimi Hendrix- “The Wind Cries Mary”
The Stone Roses- “Bye Bye Bad Man”
F#$@ed Up- “Ban Violins”
The Hot Rats- “Pump It Up”
Minor Threat- “12XU”
Wild Beasts- “Empty Nest”
Beulah- “Warmer”
RJD2- “Gypsy Caravan”
The Allman Brothers Band- “One Way Out”
The Killers- “Midnight Show”
Sigur Rós- “Hafsól”
Bill Callahan- “Santa Maria”
Rogue Wave- “Be Kind & Remind”
Old 97’s- “Crash on the Barrelhead”
Seahorses- “Love is the Law”
The Beatles- “Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby”
Happy Mondays- “God’s Cop”
Surfer Blood- “Fast Jabroni”
Gonjasufi- “Dust”
Turin Brakes- “Emergency 72”
Paul Weller- “111”
Air- “Night Hunter”
Radiohead- “Lucky”
The Jam- “Sounds from the Street (Demo)”
Imogen Heap- “2 - 1”
Soft Cell- “Youth”
The Morning Benders- “All Day Day Light”
Bibio- “Abrasion”
Jay-Z- “Off That”
Creedence Clearwater Revival- “Poorboy Shuffle”
ELO- “Shine a Little Love”
Zeus- “Heavy On Me”
Led Zeppelin- “Gallows Pole”
X- “Back to the Base”
Nirvana- “Scoff”
Wham!- “If You Were There”
Silversun Pickups- “Lazy Eye”
The Beatles- “Honey Don’t”
Jr. Walker & the All Stars- “Cleo’s Mood”
Surfer Blood- “Neighbor Riffs”
F#$@ed Up- “I Don’t Wanna Be Friends With You”
Field Music- “It’s About Time”

Friday's Playlist

The Bird & the Bee- “I’m a Broken Heart”
Massive Attack- “Paradise Circus”
Wham!- “A Ray of Sunshine (Instrumental Remix)”
Coldplay- “Politik (Live)”
Ricky Nelson- “I Can’t Help It”
Squarepusher- “My Sound”
Radiohead- “We Suck Young Blood”
The Clean- “Twist Top”
Calexico- “The Guns of Brixton”
These New Puritans- “C. 16th ±”
Duran Duran- “Is There Something I Should Know (Monster Mix)”
Graham Nash- “Sad Eyes”
Jamiroquai- “If I Like It, I Do It”
Animals- “Cheating”
Zan- “I Ain’t Going Out Like That”
Modest Mouse- “The World at Large”
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart- “Contender”
Madonna- “Miles Away”
The Morning Benders- “Pleasure Sighs”
These New Puritans- “Attack Music”
Les Savy Fav- “Rodeo”
Gene- “Speak to Me Someone”
Vitalic- “Polkaniatic”
Jaydiohead- “Dirt Off Your Android”
Oscar the Grouch- “I Hate Christmas”
The Dears- “Warm and Sunny Days”
Led Zeppelin- “Wearing and Tearing”
Madonna- “Justify My Love”
Kiss- “Rock and Roll All Nite”
Richard Hawley- “Don’t You Cry”
Bee Gees- “Marley Purt Drive (Alternate Mix)”
Wham!- “Nothing Looks the Same in the Light (Instrumental Remix)”
The Jam- “The Night”
Young Galaxy- “Firestruck”
Depeche Mode- “Stjarna”
The Jesus Lizard- “Elegy”
Sugababes- “I Bet You Look Good On the Dancefloor”
Tindersticks- “Raindrops”
Q-Tip- “Heels”
Nirvana- “Blew (Live)”
Goldfrapp- “Lovely Head”
Dr. Horrible- “Bad Horse Chorus”
Big Star- “When My Baby’s Beside Me (Live)”
Jesse Harris- “The Secret Sun”
Phoenix- “Long Distance Call”
Aimee Mann- “Nobody Does It Better”
The Beatles- “I Saw Her Standing There”
Broken Bells- “Untitled Bonus Track”
Jens Lekman- “The Opposite of Hallelujah”
Thom Yorke- “Hearing Damage”
Atlas Sound- “Logos”
Styx- “Mr. Roboto”
RJD2- “The Sleepaway”
Foreign Born- “Vacationing People”
Madlib- “Black Renaissance (For Harry Whitaker)”
Jason Boesel- “Hand of God”
Super Furry Animals- “Juxtaposed With U”
Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs- “Bell Bottom Blues”
Beastie Boys- “5 Piece Chicken Dinner”
Quasi- “Sea Shanty”
The Decemberists- “The Wanting Comes in Waves (Reprise)”
Lodger- “Always Round Here”
Suzanne Vega w/ Joe Jackson- “Left of Center”
The Jam- “Pity Poor Alfie / Fever”
Tindersticks- “Jism”
Metallica- “Damage, Inc.”
OK Go- “Shooting the Moon”
Flying Lotus- “Arkestry”
Patrick Park- “You’re Enough”
Bright Eyes- “Devil Town”
Ryan Adams- “Wonderwall”
The Dismemberment Plan- “The Face of the Earth”
Local Natives- “Airplanes”
Broken Social Scene- “KC Accidental”
Genesis- “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway”
Jay-Z- “Politics as Usual”
Wreckless Eric- “Tonight is My Night”
Wolf Parade- “Shine a Light”
New Order- “Kiss of Death”
Cream- “I Feel Free”
Baroness- “A Horse Called Golgotha”
Melissa Auf der Maur- “The Key”
The Beatles- “I’m a Loser”
Yeah Yeah Yeahs- “Cheated Hearts”
Spoon- “Got Nuffin”
Tindersticks- “Marbles”
Chris Cornell- “You Know My Name”
John Coltrane- “What Is There To Say?”
Sunny Day Real Estate- “Pheurton Skeurto”
The Beatles- “Dig a Pony”
Franz Ferdinand- “Do You Want To”
Cat Power & Karen Elson- “I Love You (Me Either) (Je T’aime Moi Non Plus)”
Vampire Weekend- “Mansard Roof”
Dr. Horrible- “Instrumental Credits”
Elton John- “Talking Old Soldiers”
Radiohead- “Go To Sleep”

Thursday's Playlist

Here's my playlist for Thursday, May 27th, 2010

New Order- “1963”
The Trash Can Sinatras- “Funny”
Public Enemy- “I Can’t Do Nuthin’ For You Man”
David Bowie- “Rubber Band”
They Might Be Giants- “Snowball in Hell”
The Jam- “In the City (Demo)”
David Bowie- “When I’ve Five”
Harvey Milk- “Merlin is Magic”
Melissa Auf der Maur- “Father’s Grave”
New Order- “All the Way”
Joanna Newsom- “You and Me, Bess”
Son Volt- “Sometimes”
Okkervil River- “For Real”
Maxi Priest- “Some Guys Have All the Luck”
F#$@ed Up- “Teenage Problems”
These New Puritans- “Time Xone”
The White Stripes- “Jolene (Live)”
Keane- “Somewhere Only We Know”
Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse w Vic Chesnutt- “Grain Augury”
Big Star- “Blue Moon”
Animals- “Maudie”
Missing Persons- “Mental Hopscotch”
Bowerbirds- “Ghost Life”
The Jesus Lizard- “Killer McHann (Live)”
Alicia Keys- “Love is Blind”
Yaz- “Situation”
The Clean- “Franz Kafka at the Zoo”
Big Star- “Femme Fatale”
Four Tet- “Circling”
Tindersticks- “Don’t Look Down (Live)”
Cocorosie- “Smokey Taboo”
Santigold- “Lights Out”
Lo Borges- “Aos Baroes”
Bee Gees- “Still Waters (Run Deep)”
The Magnetic Fields- “Seduced and Abandoned”
U2- “The Three Sunrises”
Method Man, Ghostface Killah & Raekwon- “It’s That Wu S@#!”
Marilyn Manson- “Minute of Decay”
Deerhunter- “Nothing Ever Happened”
Garbage- “Only Happy When It Rains”
R.E.M.- “Houston (Live)”
Sunny Day Real Estate- “8”
Chicago- “I Don’t Wanna Live Without Your Love”
The Beatles- “Wild Honey Pie”
Radiohead- “Street Spirit (Fade Out)”
The Flaming Lips- “If”
Frankie Goes to Hollywood- “TheWaves”
Arctic Monkeys- “Potion Approaching”
The Pixies- “Here Comes Your Man”
Madonna- “Vogue”
Nouvelle Vague- “Too Drunk to F#$@”
The Avett Brothers- “Dancing Daze”
Tindersticks- “Before You Close Your Eyes”
Cold Case- “Heaven Was Full”
Sufjan Stevens- “To The Workers of the Rock River Valley Region, I Have an Idea Concerning Your Predicament”
Genesis- “Throwing It All Away”
Espers- “The Road of Golden Dust”
Thomas Dolby- “Hyperactive (Heavy Breather Subversion)”
Radiohead- “Meeting in the Aisle”
Bee Gees- “Suddenly”
Corinne Bailey Rae- “Venus as a Boy”
Laura Veirs- “Spelunking”
Eels- “I Need a Mother”
Keane- “We Might As Well Be Strangers (Lamacq Live)”
Pink Floyd- “What Do You Want From Me”
The Antlers- “Wake”
Osso & Sufjan Stevens- “Year of the Ox”
Radiohead- “Videotape”
Red Hot Chili Peppers- “Blood Sugar Sex Magik”
Radiohead- “Lozenge of Love”
Led Zeppelin- “You Shook Me”
The Dan Band- “Free Your Mind / I Am Woman”
Kim Carnes- “Bette Davis Eyes”
Iron & Wine- “Southern Anthem”
Galaxie 500- “Way Up High”
Aaron Neville- “Tell It Like It Is”
The Beatles- “You Like Me Too Much”
The Smashing Pumpkins- “You’re All I’ve Got Tonight”
The Chameleons- “Perfume Garden (Demo)”
Beastie Boys- “Bodhisattva Vow”
Coldplay- “God Put a Smile Upon Your Face (Live)”
High on Fire- “Ghost Neck”
Cold Cave- “Love Comes Close”
The Beatles- “Another Girl”
New Order- “Lonesome Tonight”
Beastie Boys- “Finger Lickin Good”
Iron & Wine- “Hickory”
Bee Gees- “The British Opera”
Fleet Foxes- “Blue Ridge Mountains”
The Beatles- “You Really Got a Hold On Me”
The Jesus & Mary Chain- “On the Wall”
Blur- “End of a Century (Live)”
Roxy Music- “2HB”
ELO- “Hold on Tight”
Marilyn Manson- “Gibberish”
Keane- “This is the Last Time”
Foals- “Spanish Sahara (Sonar)”
The Tallest Man on Earth- “Over the Hills”
Foals- “Tron”
Garbage- “Milk (Massive Attack Remix)”
The Decemberists- “O New England”
New Order- “Dreams Never End”
Bay City Rollers- “Saturday Night”
Neil Finn & Johnny Marr & Lisa Germano- “Turn and Run”

What I Listened to Today

Since I haven't posted in a while, I thought I'd share what I've been listening to while at work: (This was about half a day)

Jarvis Cocker- "Angela"
Them Crooked Vultures- "Warsaw, or the First Breath You Take After You Give Up"
Broken Social Scene- "All to All"
Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse w/ David Lynch- "Star Eyes (I Can't Catch It)"
Minor Threat- "No Reason"
The Drones- "Cold and Sober"
Genesis- "The Colony of Slippermen"
Madonna- "Express Yourself"
Nirvana- "Floyd the Barber (Live)"
Genesis- "Abacab"
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart- "Gentle Sons"
Karen O and the Kids- "Wideaway"
Graham Nash- "King Midas in Reverse"
The Who- "Won't Get Fooled Again"
Big Pink- "Love in Vain"
Stiff Little Fingers- "Law and Order"
Mastodon- "Ghost of Karelia"
Broken Bells- "Trap Doors"
New Order- "Salvation Theme"
John Coltrane- "Blues to Elvin (Alternate Take)"
Simian Mobile Disco- "Cream Dream"
John Coltrane- "The Night We Called It a Day"
The Chemical Brothers- "Keep my Composture"
Wham!- "Love Machine"
The 88- "Love You Anytime"
Fleet Foxes- "Innocent Son"
John Coltrane- "But Not for Me"
Converge- "Effigy"
Four Tet- "My Angel Rocks Back and Forth"
Hot Hot Heat- "Bandages"
The Kinks- "Little Woman"
Stevie Wonder- "For Once In My Life"
Harvey Milk- "I Did Not Call Out"
Duran Duran- "Planet Earth"
Ringo Starr- "You're Sixteen (You're Beautiful and You're Mine)"
Nouvelle Vague- "Friday Night, Saturday Morning"
Gorillaz- "All Alone"
Morrissey- "Journalists Who Lie"
Ed Harcourt- "These Crimson Tears"
Efterklang- "Full Moon"
Jay-Z- "All I Need"
Bee Gees- "One"
Efterklang- "Harmonics"
Yo-Yo Ma- "Kreisler / Liebesfreud"
Neil Young- "Helpless (Unplugged)"
Vitalic- "See the Sea (Red)"
Keane- "Somewhere Only We Know (Live)"
Radiohead- "Creep"
Radiohead- "I Can't (BBC Radio 1 Evening Session)"
The English Beat- "Save It For Later"
Imogen Heap- "Little Bird"
Wreckless Eric- "Veronica"
Owen Pallett- "Mount Alpentine"
Goldfrapp- "Alive"
Clogs- "We Were Here"
Field Music- "Each Time is a New Time"

Those Meddling Kids...

I’ve never been a big believer in the supernatural. Guess what? I’m still not. However, that doesn’t mean I can’t get creeped out from time to time. In fact, I do scare fairly easily. So why, if this is true, do I end up wanting to see things that scare the hell out of me? Ever since I was young, I’ve been drawn to ghost stories, the unexplained and the paranormal, despite a lack of any deep-seated belief. I started reading Stephen King novels when I was nine. Some of my favorite films as a pre-teen were The Exorcist, Psycho, and The Shining. (I want to clarify here, the difference between horror movies and gore films. I don’t usually watch films like Saw or Hostel.) I used to be terrified from listening to people’s personal ghost stories, stuff that they could not explain, stuff that they would swear they witnessed firsthand. There is something that we, as humans, love about the adrenalin rush of being scared.

One of the rites of passage of one’s freshman year of college is the ‘dorm urban legend.’ I don’t want to get too sidetracked here, but I remember vividly the stories of the student who came home to a darkened room, either leaving again or going to sleep, only to wake up to find her roommate mutilated, and the words, “Aren’t you glad you didn’t turn on the light?” in blood on the wall. There are many variations, and many other corresponding stories. My freshman year roommate, Rich, told me the story of La Llorona, the folktale of a woman who, in order to win the man she loves, drowns her own children, only to be rejected by the man anyway. She kills herself, and now roams the earth, crying, and looking for the children she murdered. Of course, he told this story during a holiday break when about 95% of the students had vacated the dorms. It made for the long walk down the desolate late night hallways to the bathroom that much more terrifying.

The bottom line is that I find these kinds of stories, though they can cause me some sleepless nights, highly entertaining. Somehow, I had missed the onset of the paranormal reality show boom. Programs from both sides of the Atlantic have been focused on trying to document evidence of the supernatural for the last few years. I’d caught a few bits and pieces of episodes here and there, but I never stayed tuned in for long (One, because I don’t like starting these kinds of shows from the middle. Two, because they would usually air late at night, and that would be a sure recipe for lying in bed wide-eyed for hours). But, now that I have streaming Netflix for the PS3, I decided to give one of these shows a try.

Ghost Adventures, which airs on the Travel Channel, is a program that spun off of a documentary film made in 2004. The film, which I have yet to see in its entirety (I’ve seen clips), had won some awards, gained some notoriety and supposedly captured some fairly compelling footage. It revolves around three men, Zak Bagans, Nick Groff and Aaron Goodwin. Bagans is the ‘leader’ of the crew, driven by his own experience with the paranormal (always alluded to in the show, but never explained in full,…maybe in the documentary?), while Nick, another paranormal investigator, is a kind of sober puppethead yin to Zak’s over-the-top douchebag yang. Aaron is the Shaggy of this particular Scooby gang, an equipment tech who scares fairly easily. You can probably tell by some of my comments above that I’m a little disparaging of the show. Well, yes and no.

Let’s face it, as with everything else on television, this show is mainly for entertainment purposes. To that end, the show succeeds, despite its buffoonery. I find the first half to be the most interesting part of the show. The background information, location history, and stories surrounding the individual investigations are riveting. I suspect the fact that the show airs on the Travel Channel might have something to do with the time spent on the front end. As an example, my favorite episodes have very little to do with the investigation itself. I was fascinated to learn more about Italy’s Poveglia Island, a remote spit of land used to isolate the bodies of plague victims. The resulting ‘investigation’ was a joke, one in which it would not be a far stretch to think there was a great deal of ‘acting’ going on.

On the other side of the cable spectrum is Ghost Hunters on the newly rechristened SyFy. It’s amazing how many differences there are between the two shows despite having the same basic concept. GH is ‘hosted’ by Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson, two plumbers who started investigating the paranormal in their spare time. Supposedly, they still work in plumbing, though the positions are honorary. (Yeah, like Roto-Rooter would want to dump a couple of guys pulling in nearly three million viewers.) Whereas the Adventures crew do everything with hand-held night vision cameras (which can be spun as either ‘more authentic and raw’ or alternately ‘a gimmick to create atmosphere’), the Hunters double up on the investigators (six as opposed to GA’s three) and have cameramen following each pair. The biggest difference is in reaction and results. To the GA trio, literally EVERYTHING is evidence of the paranormal. Breezes, goosebumps, dust particles, bugs and creaky floorboards are all ‘evidence’ of present spirits. On the other hand, the GHers almost never fully admit to these things being paranormal. In fact, they rarely find much of value in any of their investigations. So, either one group is really bad at this, or one is faking a ton of findings. Both have been accused of faking results. I couldn’t care less.

My point is, the most frightening part of the paranormal is where your imagination can take you, not what someone can ‘prove.’ I’m not here to act as some kind of authority on the paranormal. I’m not, by any means. What I do know, however, is that when these guys present devices as ‘scientific,’ it’s the biggest load of crap I’ve ever heard. When it comes to the unknown, or anything that requires a leap of faith, there is no such thing as ‘scientific.’ I mean, please, a visor that attaches to a box that houses a ‘word database’ that spirits find ‘easy’ to manipulate? An electronic ouija board? Really? Why not just throw a bunch of Scrabble tiles into the darkness and see how they end up? A staticky device that spirits can speak through? Seemed more like an out of tune radio that picked up a few stray signals here and there. What makes these situations frightening resides in the mind. Half of the battle toward making someone piss his pants is in the introduction. The location has a lot to do with it. Sanitariums, abandoned hospitals, prisons, missions, plantations and underground passages are all amazingly frightening enough on their own. Throw in the stories and it paints a fairly spine-chilling picture.

Still, you couldn’t get me to be in this places at three in the morning with the lights out. I have a hard enough time viewing them from a distance.

An Incredibly Nerdy Post to Celebrate Something I've Spent Over Half My Life With...

I’ve been watching The Simpsons since the beginning, when, in high school, I heard that one of my favorite cartoonists, Matt Groening, had created a series of short cartoons for The Tracey Ullman Show. I tuned in, along with all of my senior buddies, on December 17, 1989 when the debut episode, “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire,” aired. Ever since, I’ve been a nuisance to family and friends. I’ve been able to reference a particular Simpsons moment for nearly every life situation. For instance, on a recent trip down to San Diego, there was a moment when my companions and I smelled a skunk. “El gato malodoro,” I said in Bumbleeman’s fake Spanish.

In other words, I’m a superfan. I am writing and posting this on December 16, 2009, one day before the show turns 20. As much as I have loved The Simpsons, I never imagined that the show would last for two decades. We’re about to see a ton of hype surrounding the anniversary, with lots of promotion from Fox including contests and a Morgan Spurlock-created documentary. I’ve surprised myself upon realizing I haven’t yet written extensively about the show. But, upon reading the news this morning online (a notion that would have seemed particularly futuristic and alien in 1989), I found an article that spurred me to write: Click Here

This article had me in fits. I wasn’t necessarily angry, but I found myself at odds with myself over different segments of the piece. First of all, I’m never a fan of puff pieces. CNN could have easily written a superficial anniversary story, but instead they hit at the heart of what every Simpsons fan is obsessed with--the possibility of declining quality. I was both mortified and intrigued. They even quoted so-called devotees of the show who hinted that maybe it had worn out its welcome.

As a fan, I’ve always been disgusted by the remarks of other fans. When the creators of the show speak on commentaries about certain cast members, early Internet posters, or current bloggers denouncing particular shows, I want to scream. People who supposedly love the show are essentially biting the hands that feed them. And usually, the episodes they are denouncing end up to be some of my favorites, quoted extensively. Case in point, “Homer’s Enemy,” in which we are introduced to Frank Grimes, a very real-life inspired character who points out Homer Simpson’s inanities. I thought it was brilliant from the start, but fans at the time simply hated it.

The main complaints that fans seem to have, as pointed out by the CNN article, is that the show seems packed full of jokes rather than telling an emotional story, as had been done early in the show’s history. The other complaint is that the show has become a revolving door for guest stars, with stories built around these random zeitgeist driven appearances. I sympathize with both of these complaints, and have had them myself from time to time. However, these complaints have never been strong enough to make me think that the show should be off the air. If given the chance to have a world without Simpsons, and one in which the characters still entertain every week, albeit in a degraded fashion, I’ll take the latter.

That being said, I’ll give you my own thoughts about the show, my favorites, least favorites, and general thoughts about one of my favorite shows on television.

There’s no doubt in my mind that the first three seasons of the show were the most centered on the family. With the show’s early creators forging a path from rudimentary beginnings, and the obvious influence of James L. Brooks, stories sprung from family situations such as Bart and Lisa’s troubles in school / not fitting in, the family’s money troubles, the threat of infidelity, and many brushes with success that never pan out as the family hopes. The first three seasons feature some iconic episodes counted among the show’s best, including “There’s No Disgrace Like Home,” “The Call of the Simpsons,” “Krusty Gets Busted,” “Simpson and Delilah,” “Itchy & Stratchy & Marge,” “One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish” and many others. (I don’t want to turn this post into one big nerdy list).

The show hit its popularity and quality peak in the next five seasons, with character voices and personalities hitting their stride, many of the background characters of Springfield not only introduced, but also fleshed out, strong jokes and great stories. Some of my favorite episodes of the show come from these particular seasons. Don’t misunderstand me; there are plenty of episodes I enjoy after season eight. Unlike many complaining fans, I don’t think Mike Scully (as showrunner), brought on the decline of the show. Scully brought on several talented writers and dared to take some risks with the show. HOWEVER, risk is a fine balance. Sometimes things can go too far, too ridiculous, and too “meta.” Not only that, but when you start destroying the vast history of the characters and their world, merely for the sake of making cultural references, you insult the fans who have stuck with you for years.

Fans as devoted as me could probably guess that I’m referencing a particular writer and one particular show. Matt Selman’s “That 90’s Show” is the one instance that made me think the unthinkable, that I didn’t like an episode of The Simpsons. For that reason alone, I could distinguish Matt Selman as my least favorite writer of the show. However, he has made it easy for me, in writing several other shows among my least favorites. For instance, the most recent episode aired, “O Brother, Where Bart Thou?” in which Selman places a clunky rip-off of South Park within the show. It is an example of what I find in most of Selman’s shows, constant pop culture references without a lot of humor or story. I know this is the trend with current animated shows such as South Park and Family Guy, but I conjecture that The Simpsons shouldn’t have to ape these other shows, but rather return to the family driven humor and pathos that made the show popular in the first place.

There is no reason why absurd cannot mix with great story, however, which brings me to my favorite writer, John Swartzwelder. Some may cry foul over choosing the most prolific writer, but every time I look at my favorite episodes, I am never surprised to find out they were from the mind of Swartzwelder. His scripts have featured iconic Simpsons moments: the flying rabbit when the family went camping (“The Call of the Simpsons”), the revamped family-friendly Itchy & Scratchy sharing lemonade (“Itchy & Scratchy & Marge”), as well as many others, and the entire episodes of “Rosebud,” “Homie the Clown,” “You Only Move Twice,” “Homer’s Enemy” and my all-time favorite, “Whacking Day.”

The perfect example of Swartzwelder being able to combine absolute zaniness with story-driven plots is with his show, “Homer Simpson in: Kidney Trouble.” In this particular episode, Grampa Simpson needs a kidney transplant, and Homer is afraid of going under the knife, fleeing at every opportunity, a solid, emotional, family-driven concept. In the opening act, the family visits a recreated Old West tourist attraction. According to the script, a stage direction is given that the cowboys start to shoot at one another, and one cowboy, for some reason, starts digging a hole. The animators chose to include it in the show, it goes by quickly, but it is absolutely hilarious, albeit crazy.

These jokes lie in stark contrast to Matt Selman’s lead balloon references. In fact, there are a few Selman penned episodes that revolve entirely around pop culture concepts. These, in my estimation, are the least entertaining episodes out there. For one, the aforementioned “That 90’s Show,” and for another, “Bart Gets a Z.” The latter episode seems to simply be a parody of the popular book, “The Secret,” which, with its ridiculous notions of being able to make things happen with the ‘new age’ assertion of the power of positive thinking, itself an notion already asserted for years, was already a parody of itself. Making fun of “The Secret” is like making Michael Jackson jokes. It’s been done, it never needed to be done due to its broad nature, and the jokes aren’t funny. Don’t get me started on “Blue Bronco,” his on-the-nose parody of Red Bull.

I know that writing for television is not easy. But, how Al Jean, a showrunner who has presented some of the best stories in the show’s history, has allowed Selman to continue to write and produce such inferior work is beyond me. In commentaries, besides coming off as extraordinarily pompous, Selman seems to exalt Swartzwelder’s scripts and novels, but never seems to take a cue from his writing. (Not to say that pompousness is a factor in my estimation of actual writing, it’s just more of a turn off. I feel the same way about Ken Keeler, who makes me want to punch him in the face during particular commentaries, but writes excellent scripts for The Simpsons and Futurama. Keeler also wrote another history changing episode with the highly controversial "The Principal and the Pauper," but this episode was much more story driven than referential, and so was inestimably better.)

Oddly, it appears that I am in a minority. Today’s young fans seem to love Selman’s episodes. I just don’t get it. Today’s fans also make a claim that stuns me every time I read it, that they absolutely abhor Lisa-centric episodes. When it comes to well written, emotional episodes, there are almost no better shows than Lisa shows. Think about it, “Lisa the Greek,” “Lisa’s Rival,” “Lisa the Vegetarian,” “Lisa the Iconoclast,” and maybe the most powerful episode, “Lisa’s Substitute,” are all funny, heart-tugging and well formed. She is the heart of the show. The show has gone through several phases including a very heavy Bart focus in the first few seasons, then switching to an increasingly intelligence-challenged Homer, and then exploring the various and sundry Springfield residents, but Lisa has remained steadfast throughout, always sticking to her beliefs and tolerant, if not loving with her family. When Lisa feels something strongly, we feel it too. Many great shows have this kind of character, and the best examples I can think of are the shows of Joss Whedon. Willow, from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Kaylee, from Firefly, exemplify this archetypal character to the hilt.

After 20 years, I don’t think The Simpsons has run out of stories. With as many characters as exist in Springfield, it would seem to me that the options are limitless. Years ago, Matt Groening and company proposed a spin-off called Springfield Stories, a show that would not have to revolve around the Simpson family, but instead explore the town’s denizens more closely. Maybe that’s still a good idea, and a way to get good stories out of characters that may be underused in their original show. As far as The Simpsons, I would suggest that there are indeed some ideas that are played out or should be avoided: Homer in another job setting, retelling classic stories in a ‘Simpson-y’ way (other than the Treehouse of Horror episodes), and for Pete’s sake, any show that attempts to rewrite Simpsons history. There are plenty of work, family, school and everyday life situations that could still be explored. I’m not claiming to say that this is easy, by any means, but with so many producers and consultants, you’d think they’d be able to avoid the low points. After all, they made The Simpsons Movie, which had some of the funniest as well as most touching moments in the show’s history. Not kidding, there are nearly fifty producers in total in this current season.

After the last few paragraphs, you might get the idea that I am no longer a fan of the show. This couldn’t be further from the truth. I still watch the show religiously. I have a few complaints here and there, but I usually keep my silence and allow for a few mistakes in an otherwise highly entertaining show. Early in the show’s history, a writer made a joke with the 100th episode that they were “halfway there.” Of course, that turned out to be prophetic, and even shortchanged the eventual run. But, I sincerely hope that the show could last another twenty years. In an environment that finds most of my favorite shows canceled before their time (Firefly, Veronica Mars, Arrested Development, Carnivale, Dollhouse, Deadwood), I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Smell ya later.