Giuseppe Zangara

Since the gf's family will be there, I can't alleviate my boredom by getting drunk. Blast! When I told her she owes me for having to go this, she responded that the only thing she owes me is, in turn, going to my own sister's wedding—should that day come. That day being when gays can legally marry in Florida.

Among Thumbtack's many faults is his utter humorlessness re: how many of his beloved bands and subgenres tend toward the absurd. Such as the time he was cheesed off something fierce when I asked him if wearing corpse paint would get me chicks.

I'd rec GWCH over BIWHM as far as his short fiction goes, because the latter is, at times, too gimmicky. And you really need to devote the time to Infinite Jest, Dan. You'll love it. I read the final piece in Consider the Lobster, "Host," a few weeks back. I believed I've mentioned before that I long steered clear of it due to the disorienting layout; I'm glad I finally made the effort. It's one of the best pieces in the collection. I can't answer that "Mr. Squishy" question, as I haven't read Oblivion since it came out. If I pick a Wallace book to revisit soon, it'll probably be that one.

Speaking of Celtic Frost, I still haven't checked out anything beyond To Mega Therion. Based on that one album, I prefer their punchier, shorter songs to the longer ones. "The Usurper" is totally perfect; the 5 to 6 minute cuts overstay their welcome by a minute or two.

In lighter DFW-related news, this old Onion article: http://www.theonion.com/content/node/27769

It isn't ironic that he's written about suicide. I've never been close to the edge before, but I would say that that passage is about as good and accurate a description you'll find on someone on the brink of killing his or herself. It's unavoidable that people are going to go back and read his books, trying to find clues as to why he did what he did. It's a waste of time; the man who ended it on Friday night is not the man who wrote those books.

Though I'm no longer the rabid fan I once was, finding out David Foster Wallace had committed suicide was still a shock. All I know of the man comes from his works and the handful of interviews I've read; reading Infinite Jest, I felt as if it was coming from someone who knew pain and sadness and whatever else, but that that someone still "got" it. Life. Even in the darker elements of his fiction, there was an underlying current that life was something worth living. Indeed, there was a time where, if I was feeling down about something, I could cheer myself up by simply reading a random section of IJ, or picking out one of his short stories or essays. It's been some time since I've done that. That was long ago for Wallace, too, I suppose. I wish I could think that if he once was able to find meaning and reason in life, then he always could. He couldn't. We can keep trying, though.

The only time W&P ever seriously drags is right at the end, in the second half of the epilogue. The novel is over by this point; it's just 30-plus dry, tedious, and brutally boring pages of Tolstoy pontificating on the nature of war, God, and whatever the hell else comes to his mind. Such a miserably dull way to end a book so full of life.

If Pitchfork's review of the Black Kids album is their mea culpa, it fails. They've hyped so many other lousy bands—are they going to start dissing them, too? That said, the pic/caption combo made me laugh, but an actual review explaining why this album stinks would've been nice. As far as I can tell, the only thing separating the LP from the EP is better production values. Also, mik, Pitchfork, for once, were working against the indie music media grain. And you appear to have confused "popular" opinion with "critical" opinion, which rarely overlap, even in indie circles. (Not to keep beating up on these guys—okay, actually, I do mean to—but I swear I've never knowingly met someone who liked Tapes n Tapes.) Popular (relatively speaking, natch) and critical opinion agree that Black Kids are some really neat 80s revivalists.

I laughed so hard at this.

Stop while you're behind. Oh no, a typo! That changes the meaning of my sentence entirely. A glance at your posting history reveals a fair amount of typo-free idiocy.

Danny, you tool. "Alex Chilton" is better than "September Gurls"? "The Ballad of El Goodo"? And all this Third Eye Blind talk is giving me an ulcer. The only good thing they ever did was lift the riff from "Sweet Jane."

I was desperate. I had been driving almost non-stop, alone, for several hours. There was an Applebees located off the interstate in Valdosta, Georgia. I relished the opportunity to get off the road for a bit. And, maybe, have a decent meal. What was I thinking? Yes, it had been four years since I last stepped foot in one and about half as long since I dined at any sit-down chain, but did I think that the passage of time would have made their food any less mediocre? It's like they scientifically engineered the most flavorless, bland thing (it barely qualified as food) as possible, did a reasonable mock-up of a sandwich and called it a Roasted Turkey & Bacon Ciabatta. Then there was the waiter, a sallow-faced young man who, after giving me my food, hit me up to donate to some cancer-related charity. I was trying to fucking eat! Couldn't his employers have made the staff pick a better time to pitch to the diners, if they had to do it all? Was he oblivious to my look of disdain as he told me about some wretched, terminally ill child and her lemonade stand? Maybe he assumed my disgust was with my meal, not his form letter sob story.

He's a pretty cool guy in person, but yeah, his band blows. I hope these guys make the most of the sure to be fleeting attention they're receiving, though, as I've said elsewhere, I don't think they deserve it.

Do you like learning new words, Battlenuts? I'm glad that I can teach you things.

It's easy to imagine Battlenuts pumping his fist after he hits Add Reply.

Man, I should just go home, huh?

Shit, who told him I was only 5'6"?

Battlenuts, for being a goddamned simpering pussy Agent of Oblivion, for doing drugs and "viciouisly" moderating

Perhaps she needs a bit more coaxing. You go first, twiztedmind.

I think you can balance the two. That you would often derail threads with your "Thugger Than Thou" bullshit is what made a lot of people—myself included—loathe you.

My, EHME, your vocabulary has expanded beyond "shut up you fuckin homo bitch!" Having to plead not be banned has been beneficial for your growth.

Oh, I don't doubt that. Still, I had to cover my ass somehow.

He's been the pits these past couple of decades, sure, but I really don't like his "classic" 70s stuff, either.