It’s not a social good in and of itself.
I also wonder if folks who are all development uber alles still concern themselves with things like “sustainability,” which seems to be a watchword among the gentrifying classes.
The knee-jerk reaction to build things like music venues in blighted areas is tantamount to “drill, baby, drill.” Do you really want to be associated with that?
Anthony Miccio and I have rhapsodized this song at great length. Heck, I even wrote about Secret Samadhi once for Stylus.
If you grew up anywhere in Pennsylvania in the ’90s, Live were inescapable. Think of it as a post-grunge Dave Matthews Band. You know, the sort of band that believes they are saving the word with each awkward rhyme. It was awful.
Worse? I’m guessing this post has just made me number one for “Lakini’s Juice” SEO. I guess that feeling I’m mistaking for pride is really just schadenfreude.
I’d been waiting to write how awestruck I’ve been by this, but I can’t contain myself any longer. This list has been facemeltingly perfect, at least from the perspective of anyone who’s been reading Pitchfork since the days of dial-up. I can hardly be bothered with the snooty critic’s picks, but what fascinates me are the entries for the corporate rock entities that defined a generation who thought they were rebelling against corporate entities.
Favorites of the moment include the entry for Oasis’ “Live Forever” and the Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony,” to say nothing of New Order’s “Regret,” the song that introduced me to their entire catalogue. Those opening strains still stop me in my tracks.
Am I a little bummed no one has out and out shocked the readership by including the Verve Pipe? Am I amazed that neither Live nor Dave Matthews Band have made an appearance? Which U2 song will make the list? I hope they pick something from Zooropa. The ’90s weren’t perfect and neither were we. I hope they acknowledge that somehow.
Man, were the ’90s really 20 years ago already? Yup, they sure were! Now, I’ve been paying special attention to Pitchfork’s nostalgia trip, but I get the keen sense that they’ve obliterated the true gems from this list. What do I mean? I’m talking about the sappy nonsense that all children of the ’90s got sucked into in the days before the O.C. You know, the songs they ask people about in that 5–10-15–20 feature they do from time to time. Where’s the embarrassing stuff that we know you all loved as kids? You weren’t listening to Olivia Tremor Control during puberty, were you?
I’ve compiled the twenty songs I was most likely to belt out when they came on the radio, whether I was doing farm chores or I was feeling sorry for myself somewhere else. There were a few from the late ’80s that nearly made the list; wish I could’ve put the B‑52s on here, as I feel like they’re disjoint from history at this point and I loved them so very much.
Please bear in mind that I don’t mean that these songs are embarrassing in and of themselves. Rather, I think these songs are emblematic of what’s likely the most vulnerable ten years of my life, a decade that covers my junior high years, my year abroad, and college. It was a rough ten years!
Watch the videos after the jump.
Dear Mayor Nutter,
I voted for you because I thought you best represented what the City needed. I had my doubts, but thought that you’d be the best man for the job. I felt sure of it when I shook your hand after your victory at City Hall station on my way to work.
A year later I wasn’t so sure. You and I had an awkward interaction at a Fels event. I asked you about the casino. You were upset and gave your rote answer. I don’t even remember it. I tried approaching you afterward not just to explain myself, but to give you a chance to turn on the charm and connect with a voter. You didn’t. You tried to avoid me. When I caught up to you, you told me if I didn’t like the casino, I could move. “It’s a big city,” you said.
Another year passed. You managed to survive a tricky winter, despite the fact that the streets were in awful condition. Mayors in Chicago lose elections over stuff like this. The city streets were an insurance nightmare! I know it was record snowfall, but doesn’t that mean city services should rise to the challenge in the name of public safety, or was it enough to don an Action News cap and give us updates?
You have about a year to turn this thing around. I know that the budget’s a mess, but you haven’t done a great job of accentuating the positive. Going after the libraries was a dumb move, even as part of brinksmanship. You lost credibility with the geek crowd from whence you came. You accepted an award from the library the night you threatened to close neighborhood branches. It sickened me and many people in my neighborhood. It really hurt those of us who thought that you’d have a greater degree of sophistication than your predecessor.
Whatever happened to the bully pulpit? Where’s the passion, man? What did you truly believe in in the first place? Was it all just a progressive facade?
You know what? I started writing this letter to condemn your campaign. I wanted to blame you for giving us false hope. But that’s not good enough. I want you to prove me wrong. I want you to wow me in the time you have remaining in office. Do you think you can? Do you think you can go to bat for Philadelphians and show them that you are indeed the bright bulb we thought we elected?
I know your job isn’t easy, but you knew that, too. Don’t just throw these difficult decisions in voters faces. It’s childish. Rise to the occasion and show us what you have. We still want to know about your ideas on technology, on your plans for the waterfront…heck, tell us more about bike lanes! Show us where you want to go. All hope isn’t lost, but you need to step up and lead. Can you?