There is much that is wrong with the plastic and tinny production style of the 80s period that doesn't just boil down to a drum style or a bad factory synth patch. Gated drums can be used to sound pleasingly weird. Synthesizers and drum machines have their place.

This eclipse literally saved my life. I was captured by a mysterious South American tribe and they were going to sacrifice me to their gods. I informed them that the sun was my friend and would not shine for their mirrors and the wood would never light.

Exactly. Everybody larfs at Trump skipping out on his Vietnam service due to bone spurs — but most of his draft-dodging was done under the perfectly honorable excuse that he was continuing his education. I'm sure that seemed reasonable at the time, but now it seems like that education is buried wherever he keeps his…

I recall mentioning on some random thread (not here) that the Iranian coup, as sponsored by western spooks, was not commonly taught in public schools here in the US. That turned out to be an Old Person thing to say. I was immediately shouted down by a large group of young folks who knew all about the overthrow from…

I dunno, is ignoring someone's resume when you hire them the usual way of running a business?

Yeah, but those guys knew how to run a country. Or how to whore themselves out at the nearest brothel. One of those.

It's more like having the spine of an eighty year old man when you are but sixteen.

Something about having a president straight out of an ancient MDC lyric sheet has sucked all the fun out of these random beheadings. How do those dusty old punk rock records keep up with politics like that?

I'm sure I'm not the only one for whom the 1990s "Lounge" era never ended. Even though I spend most of my time listening to abstract music, I'm always up for some Esquivel, Frank Hunter, Korla Pandit, Piero Umiliani, or some Library Music kitsch. Part of the appeal is that much of that stuff is musically empty, but…

For me it's the forgotten synth cheez of Daniel Lentz. He's a minimalist composer, but I guess he had trouble affording an orchestra. Check out "A Crack in the Bell," "On the Leopard Altar," or "Missa Umbrarum." Some of it sounds like 80s synthpop. Very strange.

Yeah, when I was a kid in sixth grade, I decided to be Asterix for Halloween. That was the first of my many encounters with "what the hell is that supposed to be?"

One of the greatest things I've even seen in my life was a double speaking engagement at an alternative press expo. It was Lynda Barry followed by Tony Millionaire. Lynda excitedly explained the therapeutic power of drawing, even when you have no talent. Tony told us about the time he killed his crabs with Lysol.

One of the barriers to entry is the fact that you can't just show someone a funny bit from the show on YouTube. Two or three minute excerpts just dissect the frog. The Boosh is cumulative.

It depends upon the time-period setting of the book. For instance, when I was a child, I would waltz right into a head shop and pick up a copy of S. Clay Wilson's "Felch Comix" without anyone raising an eyebrow. You can't imagine how disappointed I am with this so called "future" we live in.

There's a sad transition in Daffy Duck's personality over the years from gleeful anarchist to painful egotist. With Bugs Bunny, some idiot usually must draw first blood before the trickster is unleashed. Daffy just drops an anvil on you, usually right after a kiss.

If someone says something interesting and to the point, I’ll give it a listen even if they wrote some shitty books. At least “The Screwtape Letters” wasn’t a stealth attack on reasonable atheism.

Yeah, you know who concerns themselves with the question of whether a form of entertainment is too childish? Teenagers.

All Hail Moronica!

All hail the Job Creator.

I had long hair and refused to cut it off! The rednecks all hassled me for being gay and they were at least 30% correct! My favorite band was Henry Cow! I nearly bankrupted the town newspaper while I was a newspaper boy! I got ridden by a loa and my best friend went insane! I like to think that everyone can relate to…