back in the day before i had status and before i had a pager

rather than lament on the last year, yesterday evening i found myself lamenting on the last 10 years. i was going through old published pieces and reading how much i've changed as a writer. for one thing, i'm not writing exclusively about hip-hop, which is kind of a sad thing. the other thing is i don't think i'm nearly as arrogant...yet i'm probably more of an asshole. ultimately, though, the last 10 years have slowly chipped away at my naivity as a person and it shows in my writing. i'm admittedly more jaded about music and i seldom find new bands and artists to be excited about. i'm not going to be 14 again, so i won't act like i give two shits about panic! at the disco. i've grown to loathe publications such as skratch (who still owe me two back issues and money from the 2004 warped tour issue), alternative press, and absolutepunk because they have a platform to really say something but they squander it away to write about what kind of m.a.c. make up gerard way uses.

...then i think about whether i'm saying something myself. at large, nobody cares that "drumline" is one of my favorite movies or that i really like nightmare of you. i'm not noam chomsky, or even john mccain, and i am not saying anything new, either. after the guilt melts away, i just say "fuck it. i love writing about the tunes that are shaping the world, so let's do this like brutus."

that's the last 10 years of my life as a writer. in a nutshell, of course.

exxxtra thoughts:

* megan seling's "FSU" piece, has spawned some interesting opinions on the Northwest Hardcore Message board: here and here.

* former season of death/breathless mahoney/the cootees singer jiles brandon has some songs on the internet available for your listening pleasure.

* avenged sevenfold is not a very good "metal" band.

* big business is an awesome "metal" band.