stuff no one but me will care about

I have so much on my mind right now I think my head is going to explode if I don't get it out.

New Maps Of Hell

First off, and most importantly, New Maps Of Hell finally came out. This is just as good, if not better, than any other album Bad Religion has ever released in their 27 years of making music. I mean that with all sincerity. These guys are in their 40's, have released 15 full lengths (not to mention other greatest hits, live performances, and compilation releases), and have hundreds of songs totaling thousands of hours of music under their belts and they release their best record well after most bands would have hung it up and checked into the old folks home.

I feel more admiration and respect for Bad Religion then any other person, place or thing on this planet. I am not one to put famous people of any sort on a pedestal. I don't think they are different from anyone else and I certainly don't think they should be idolized simply because they have a talent that is visible and marketed to the mass public. Bad Religion is different. They are the face of a movement that I take very seriously.

Sure Greg Graffin can be an arrogant, self centered prick sometimes, but I hear Jay Bently, Brooks Wackerman, and Brian Baker are down to earth guys who are great to the fans. I got a chance to meet Greg Hetson last year when the Circle Jerks opened for Pennywise in New York and I can tell you first hand he is the nicest guy you could ever hope to meet.

That's why I love this band; they simply are the best out there but you'd never know they are icons of a scene by talking to them (except for Graffin, maybe). They've been doing it forever and if it wasn't for them there wouldn't be all the MTV emo/pop/garbage we are bombarded with every day. Every ten year old kid who knows each My Chemical Romance song my heart and every sixteen year old girl who is obsessed with Good Charlotte or Yellowcard should personally thank Bad Religion because if not for these punk pioneers their makeup wearing idols would probably be wearing FUBU and trying to make it big in a boy band.

Warped Tour

Speaking of whiny, makeup wearing bitches, I cannot put into words how badly I hate most of the bands (and fans, for that matter) at the Warped Tour.

Last Saturday I personally attended the shit show when it made its annual stop in Salt Lake. Every year I tell myself there is no chance I will be within ten miles of music's most conspicuous hypocrisy (how can you have a corporately sponsored traveling music festival and try to sell it as punk rock?), but every year there is at least one or two bands that inevitably draw me to the Utah State Fairgrounds. This year it was Bad Religion and Pennywise. God only knows how long its been since Bad Religion came to Salt Lake and I would walk through Hell to see Pennywise play "Bro Hymn." Needless to say, missing either of these bands play is not an option for me.

We got there around noon or 1:00 and it was already scorching outside. Then, of course, we found out that both Pennywise and Bad Religion weren't scheduled to play until much, much later which meant we would have to kill about six hours in the blistering heat with thousands of dehydrated, under clothed and over sexed teenagers running around talking about their favorite X96 DJ and how great Panic At The Disco is live. If only I had a noose...

Regardless of the grim outlook, it actually ended up being a pretty good day. I was there with my favorite person, I bought the new Bad Religion disc before its release date, and Pennywise, despite only being allowed 30 minutes on stage, played one of the best sets I've ever seen them play. All that was worth putting up with the shitty bands and the grueling temperatures. I had a great day despite being at the Warped Tour.

P.S. If you are guy and wear tight pants or have hair like the period-inducing cry-babies to the right then please do the world a favor and change your clothes or just kill yourself now. In ten years these bands will be looked at in the same way people today look at Motley Crue or Twisted Sister. Its a fad. If the butt-rock metal of the 80's taught us anything it's that tight pants, make up, and girl hair sucks and doesn't have staying power. Everyone is laughing at you.

Other Stuff

There are a lot of other things I was planning on writing about but I'm getting tired of writing incoherent ramblings with no structure and little direction. Below is a list to remind myself of what I want to get to eventually, it only has meaning for me:

George Bush/Scooter Libby
Derek Fisher
Radio
Apathy vs. "Causenites"
Fiction
Music List