Because there are chicks singing, 

I really liked his article on "Closing Time"

Well it does seem like you were taken aback because of the throaty shouting, but that's standard for hardcore punk.  It's sort of like criticizing rappers for not singing.  But yes, taste judgments - I initially didn't like the more hardcore side of punk because of the vocals, but they eventually grew on me.

"Divorce Song" by Liz Phair.  ("And the license said you had to stick around until I was dead/But if you're tired of looking at my face I guess I already am" - ouch).

"I'm lonely and I'm right."  - yeah, that simple line at the end of Fair succinctly captures the standpoint of many ex-lovers.

My local station played them when the 59 Sound came out, although the even more pop-friendly American Slang was ignored.

My guess is drivers.  As most people still have to drive somewhere, and it's a lot easier to just manipulate the FM dial than an mp3 player while driving.  I know I heard the stat somewhere that the majority of radio listeners are drivers.  As listeners who have more than a passing interest in music have drifted to…

That seems about right.  Foster the People and Mumford and Sons' popluarity seems like an outgrowth of the ways that indie rock-influenced music has penetrated the mainstream market, like The Killers and MGMT before them.  Maybe they weren't covered much in the press, but, at least here in Columbus, Ohio, the modern…

Technically tracks, not artists (except for the mention of the singer from The Promise Ring), but I love the way Jimmy Eat World name-drops songs in A Praise Chorus.

There were other songs on that album that were pretty good - Exactly Like Me, Everywhere.

Ditto, my mom actually took us kids to see it in the theaters.  For me, it was all kinds of revelatory awesomeness.

Ditto, I preferred to Frusciante's melodic guitar work, and I think that's pretty much why I liked Californication and By the Way.  The less rocking songs were usually better, mostly because of this guy - see, e.g., Californication (that mid-song solo elevates that song), Easily, This Velvet Glove, Dosed, Venice Queen.

I don't think Ron Paul is for me, but I respect him more than any other GOP candidate and Obama.

I liked Scott Pilgrim a lot up until the end. I don't think I ever disagreed so much with a film's ending aside from this movie - SPOILER:

Tuning out the public is the point
"I don't like being in public with my earphones on." Perhaps not ideal when walking in public along busy streets. But they're almost necessary when taking public transportation regularly. God, some people need to shut up.

It did have a major resurgence in popularity in the 00s. My uneducated, anecdotal opinion is that this is the most popular song in America. I never encountered any other song so well-known, well-liked by many different types of people. It is the staple of many mass recreational settings (bars on weekends, sporting…

Nah. As stated above, seven angry paragraphs about a throwaway intro plot, plus casual references denigrating Santa's Little Helper.

Doomed 4th wall romances
I think this happened a second time in the Seattle season. One of the military roommates had a relationship with one of the casting directors. There was much crying involved.

Yeah, those were really popular, just like Simpsons t-shirts. They even incorporated hip-hop imagery - I remember one with Bugs in a backwards hat and overalls (yes, those were trendy too back then).

That holographic game Data and the jerk play - Strategema or something - looks fun too.