The Ugly Casanova album is a very good transition between the two.

A contributor to the Oxford English Dictionary cut off his penis while in jail.

I just realized that he's from the town where I grew up.

I'll already own next year's model!

Yes, Jefferson called his party the Democratic Republicans, but they were often referred to as Republicans.

It says "No Fleas." We're allowed to have one.

I grew up in Northern Illinois, so I usually would only be able to listen the the Brewers. During Packers games, however, especially when Maddon was announcing, we'd listen to the radio while watching the TV.

My older brother was a huge Petty fan. I stole "She's the One" because of the Beck cover.

Technically, at McDonald's, they just pour huge boxes of frozen fries into a hopper that ejects a basket full at a time. I did a "McTeacher's Night," there, and the making of the fries is super automated in order to facilitate consistency between stores. (They even use a salt dispenser that only lets out a certain…

I saw the Walkmen open up for them, which turned me from merely really liking "The Rat" to the Walkmen being my favorite band.

It reminds me of the Scott Walker recall campaign organizing drum circles day and night in front of the Capitol building. You're just making people think that your side has its head up its ass.

George eating the eclair out of the garbage is very representative of the show's view of the characters. Most people probably wouldn't actually go through with taking a bite, but they probably would have the same little argument in their head about whether it was okay to do so.

I've been a social worker and teacher in a low-income school for most of my adult life, and everyday I feel like I have a better understanding of perspectives that are different than mine. I don't think I'll ever fully understand exactly what it means to be in the place of my clients/student, but that surely doesn't…

My money's on him or Rubio (and I'm almost certain the GOP will win in four years; it's been 80 years since one party has controlled POTUS for more than three terms.) Everyone seems to forget Ryan, but the fact that he never had to face Trump head on and his general skepticism about a Trump candidacy leave him coming…

Now I feel better that I was on my way home from work when I heard the highlights from Trump's speech. Apparently, the language I used was justified.

Last week's Sound Opinions had an interview about Trump's musical choices that's worth checking out.

I have a similar background (born in WI, spent most of my life in Illinois and have been back in for about three years now) and totally agree. There are people who either acquire education and/or accept that they're never going to be rich (as a teacher, I'm both) and there are people who think that Obama has…

As I was looking at the Shaggy one, I realized that I have always looked much more like the image on the left. Then I realized that throughout my teens and early twenties (when I would have been affected by something like this, according to the article) it was never as asset. When I hit my late twenties, and everybody…

I've always seen Lifted as very directly influenced by this album.
Also, Ugly Casanova, and most of what Arcade fire has done. I'm almost surprised that people just hearing it now would truly understand its place as a masterpiece because it's so ingrained in some sectors of music.

Have you ever read a Budweiser can? It's plenty pretentious.