whatever happened to hi-fi?

Back in the year 2008, J tagged me to blog about artistic influences.

I've started that response at least three times and left each post to fester. But this morning, my ipod shuffle is screaming at me to at least respond in part.

First, the meme: 1. List three of your major artistic influences and three unexpected ones, and 2. If you post something in the comments here, I will guess three of your artistic influences.

Before my reveal, here were J's guesses for me: Dorothy Parker, Buzzcocks, Jean Shepherd, Samuel L. Jackson.

Man. J gives me credit for being way cooler than I really am.

While my humor has always been fairly dark, wise-cracky and based on an ongoing game of one-upmanship since puberty (perhaps even earlier), I really never saw myself as smart enough to keep up with the likes of the Algonquin Round Table.

Even in my heady 20's when I thought my snarky retorts were my best and brightest feature. Still, that's a swank compliment...so I'll take it!

J was much closer to the mark on the Buzzcocks!

I was very much in love with anything British in junior high and high school. I wore out my dubbed cassette copy of The English Beat ( I Just Can't Stop) on one side and The Police (Synchronicity) on the other. I have no doubt that I would have followed Elvis Costello or Joe Jackson to the ends of the earth.

The Buzzcocks pop/punk was not only kick ass to listen to, but filled the requirement to at least sound risque to the point that I hid my cassette of Love Bites at home, for fear my father would make me get rid of it.

I lived in a house where "stinker" was the worst allowable word you could use. Even a quiet uttering of "crap" would get you grounded. I didn't want to find out what punishable fate owning a tape with the word "cock" emblazoned on it might deliver.

I have to admit Jean Shepard threw me for a loop. No idea who that was. I'm not sure if J meant Jean Shepard (DJ/writer/narrator) or Jean Shepard (country music singer/songwriter.)
Either way...I had to look them both up. Oof.

As for Samuel Jackson...I do believe that he inspired me to use a certain word way more than I used to in both my personal and artistic life. And, I think you motherfuckers know which motherfucking word I'm motherfucking talking about.


Tomorrow, I'll post three major artistic influences.


While I have no idea where my duped cassette copy of the Buzzcocks may have landed after 20 some years, after J mentioned them, I had an old gift certificate that I traded in for Singles Going Steady.

For now, I just wanted to post the song that finally spurred me to action. I can't access youtube at the moment, but I'll try to add a link later.


I wish you could see you the huge grin that listening to this song is giving me.
1) It's got a rockin' good punk sound.
2) Remembering how this song fueled my ideas of teen rebellion..is cracking me up.
3) The delivery of "oh shit" is so...impotently agnsty? Past the anger, just plain annoyed acceptance of the truth.

Oh Shit
Oh shit I thought you and I were friends
Oh shit I guess this is where our love ends
Oh shit I thought things were goin' well
But it hasn't turned out so swell
Has it?
Oh shit
Oh shit

Pride comes before a fall
Oh shit and once you lose one you've lost them all
Oh shit I guess that this time's the time
And it seem you're no longer mine
Don't it?
Oh shit
Oh shit

Oh shit I wish I'd known before now
Oh shit that you were such a cow
Oh shit I wouldn't've wasted my time
Oh shit chasin' somethin' which wasn't mine
Face it
You're shit
You're shit

Oh shit I wish I'd known before now
Oh shit that you were such a fuckin' cow
Oh shit I wouldn't've wasted my time
Oh shit chasin' somethin' which could never be mine
Admit
You're shit
You're shit
You're shit
Admit
Admit
You're shit
You're shit
You're shit
You're shit
You're shit

For the record, I don't think anyone is "shit."
I'm just rocking out to my teenage soundtrack.

I hope you can embrace the awesomeness the Buzzcocks have bestowed upon us all.