h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

*g*
Now remember, I'm in Britain, which means Matchbox are painfully obscure and Green Day, whilst well-known, aren't all that popular with a lot of people I know. Anyway the more obscure ones (Bif Naked, Rasputina, Letters to Cleo) I figured I wouldn't name as their seriously obscure. And of course I've heard of Toad the Wet Sprocket
I like Matchbox, but like I said, I like pretty much everything and I grew up on a diet of jazz or bounce-around-to music. Its only recently that I've discovered what I really love is stuff like Green Day. Angus- this certainly rings a bell. Hang on a mo.
*Tweetie jumps up to sift through her copy of Videohound seeing as she has developed a preference for this over Halliwell's*
With Kathy Bates in it? Seems to be a teen comedy with a bullying theme. Ouch on the review by the way. Quote "Dull teen comedy" unquote.
As for pop- ditto on the hatred, but at least you don't live over here. Yes, you may have to put up with Britney and Backstreet Boys but we have Steps. And Westlife. We rule supreme over crap teenybopper bands

Down below is me, not Halo. Multiple h2g2ers is not a good idea.

Okay, now that you have me thoroughly flustered and confused...explain?

As for the giant mess written somewhere above my present locale, let us begin:

Angus is a good movie!

I have just noticed that THAT may be my shortest sentence ever written(spoken does not count since I speak in mostly monosyllabic grunts and such).

It seems in any group of bands you list, there is ONE I have never heard of. In this case, Rasputina. No, wait, scratch that, on second thought, I think I MIGHT have...but I forget where...whatever. Either way, my point is that music(as well as basically every entertainment venue, but music is a bit larger) is probably my life, so finding a band I don't even have an inkling of(this is where I would mention Rasputina, had I not corrected myself) is tough.

Moving on.

Wait, what was that? OF COURSE you've heard of Toad the Wet Sprocket? I don't think you realize the level to which that phrase astounds me. As far as I am concerned, to the rest of the universe, Toad does not exist. I am their sole reason for being and having been. ...But then again, I could EASILY contribute their amazing status of a seemingly non-existant fan base to the zillions of droning, pre-fab, corporate-endorsed, overplayed, Casio-keyboard-powered pop "sensations" that block out individual thought(even in the "underground" scene! I think the supposed "anti-pop" movement with its legions of very similarly dressed social outcasts, has, in itself, become another route to conformity, except that the conformity thinks itself unconventional only because of its non-likeness to what is commonly thought of as conventional! Get it? ...Okay, I think I'm done).

Final thought: You like Green Day. I said Green Day was on the Angus soundtrack. The soundtrack is mostly bands of that sort. Might I make a suggestion as to a band, on the soundtrack, whom I so regularly enjoy? Weezer. If you haven't heard of them, go look them up. If you HAVE heard of them, what are you waiting for? Go listen to them right now(so, quiz for the day: Do I like Weezer? A.) Yes B.) No C.) You need serious mental help. NOW.)!

Ok, 1: I quoted a review from one of my multiple film bibles- it is in no way my own opinion.
2: Halo is my sister- I forgot to re-register, hence the confusion.
3:I can't remember where I have heard of Toad the Wet Sprocket but I have. Most deifinitely- it's a name that sticks in your head.
4: I have never heard of Weezer, however I will soon look them up.
5: Music is not my life- film (as you might have guessed from my possession of certain books) and TV (sad) are my own personal obsessions. Particularly Woody Allen movies.
6: I will say it for the last time- bamds you may know very well, often do not have a UK distribution deal, or are not very big over here. Therefore a) I do not know if you have heard of them and b) I have a majorly hard time finding their albums.
7: Non-conformity is being yourself, whether that means that you conform occasionally because you truly enjoy what others do, or you never stray from you own path.
8: Where have I heard of Toad the Wet Sprocket? This is really bugging me now. Nevertheless, I *have* heard of them, and will now make a concerted effort to find an album.
9: I have recently exited a (approximately) 4 year period where I rarely listened to any music of my own, and *never* bought albums. From this void, I have emerged but it is taking time to buy any respectable amount of albums and in my jobless state it is doubly difficult. Therefore, don't blast my taste or the obscurity of the bands I like, due to our vastly different geographical and cultural positions and the relatively recent re-emergance of my love of music.
...
Though any help in choosing the best albums is much appreciated

It's like I said, I am obsessed with all three, but I have an emphasis on music(being a musician probably helped with that one). On the conformity topic: Whatever. I hate trying to bend my mind around that one when I have to type it all out. Otherwise, I'd be complaining left and right about every aspect of it, as any of my friends could tell you I so often do. Woody Allen, hmm? I have TRIED my hardest to stay focused and understand one of his movies, but I can honestly say that it is something I have continually failed at. As far as directors go, I am a major fan of Kevin Smith(in case you don't know: Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, and most recently Dogma) and I am eagerly awaiting tomorrow night's premier of Clerks: The Animated Series(you guys are SO missing out on THIS one). Speaking of TV: New topic! But first a Toad note: The reason I myself know of Toad was their single, "Good Intentions". Maybe you've heard it(most likely, not). Anyway, on to TV!

I have oh-so-recently noticed that we seem to have stolen, steal, and be stealing tens of thousands of British shows, and then not telling the public that they're British. At least, not directly. If you look for it(or if you're me, and smart enough to have previously KNOWN about the British shows), you can find out easily the show's origin. However, most of the general public doesn't care, and, to use an extremely stupid phrase, that just bakes my biscuit(so to speak). Most recently of our stealings have been Whose Line is it Anyway?(ahem...duh), Don't Forget Your Toothbrush, The League of Gentlemen(this one we just TOOK, with no Americanizing or redoing at all, just a bunch of tapes), and(although this one isn't British, err, I don't THINK, I could be wrong, either way it's the same principle) Survivor.

I regret to tell you that I had gone on from here into(really, no kidding, I am serious) tons of other topics, all of which would have been interesting I'm sure, but my computer crashed. Ah well, I have saved this little bit at least, but already I have forgotten the contents of what I was last writing about. I am INCREDIBLY mad right now, and would not mind the death of a small, defenseless, furry animal at my own bare hands to suddenly occur, because I would most likely feel better. I had written so much! And it's all gone! All I DO remember is the last thing I had written, which was that you should look for Blind Melon or Soundgarden, those being two bands I enjoy. I also commented on how I saw the Cranberries live, on my BIRTHDAY no less. Outside of that, I have UTTERLY FORGOTTEN!!! I think perhaps I should go now before my computer suffers a fatal blow to the keyboard.

Oh, I almost forgot about my point in the British show rant: Americans just DON'T GET British humour(note the...you know), and I am a strange exception, and thus offended by the Americanizing of British shows for consumption by the stupid American populous(don't I just LOVE the U.S.?). It was(to use my normal, unelegant, SPOKEN language) waaaaaaaayyy cooler when I wrote it in a giant paragraph the first time. Oh well. I need a witty remark to end on. Hmm...okay, got it:

I fart in your general direction!



See? Stupid Americans just wouldn't get that!

*pouffer*
Oh, I don't know. They seem to like South Park ok
Have to say, the whole pinching our shows bit pisses me off too. Not with TLofG (which I personally don't get) because they show the actual show. But when they try to make them American (as per the recent Cold Feet debacle) I could just kill a few TV executives (much better than small furry animals). I shudder to think what they're gonna do with The Royle Family...
I also love Kevin Smith, and I'm looking forward to Dogma (released to rent this month).
*thinks*
You guys actually stole Don't Forget Your Toothbrush. Wow. That's stunningly bad.
Ummm, Soundgarden, that's also ringing a bell. I'll have a look, but till I get to Glasgow, or convince my parents to buy from Amazon, I can't see myself having much luck.
Which Woody Allen films have you watched? Because, IMHO, Annie Hall and then Manhattan are the best. Plus, they're not difficult to understand (although I identify with a lot of that neurotic persona so maybe it's easier for me).
You're a musician? What do you play?
Ummm, one last thing... oh right. I *hate* when that happens. The problem with my ISP is that (when you're using the free service) it disconnects you after 2 hours. So, I'm in the middle of a massive guide entry and I get cut off. Grrrrrrr.

And WHAT, may I ask, are Cold Feet and The Royale Family? I assume that, whatever they are, I'll know about them and this so-called "Cold Feet debacle". Meanwhilst, Woody Allen...I don't know which movies I've seen, being that they were A.) on TV and B.) during a bout of channel surfing. Either way, I still don't get it.

I'm a musician. What do I play. Hmmm...
Well, if you will peruse the previous entries, you will note that I am an obsessed guitarist(as I'm sure I have noted that I play nonstop approximately 24 hours a day). Thus every time I hear a new band to be obsessed about, I immediately go out and learn every one of their songs until I have ruined it for myself and I am forced to start all over again. "Obsessed" may not quite cover it. Now all I have to do is get famous(or as you would end up calling it, obscure).

Cold Feet- has been described as "The British Friends" but the only resemblance is that it involves 6 friends, three male, three female, and it stars Helen Baxendale. It's an extremely good comedy-drama about relationships. It was taken over to the States and put into development, but never made it out, the product was sooooooo awful. Makes me want to laugh
The Royle Family- possible the most inventive Brit-com for years. It's about a working class family. And that's it. The camera rarely leaves their living room and never leaves their house. All we see is their conversations, usually revolving around TV. It has some of the cleverest dialogue I've seen for years. And it's coming to the States, although with the full co-operation of the creators, Caroline Aherne and Craig Cash. I hope they don't spoil it, I bet you'd love it
And you know, if you ever do get famous I'll be the first to buy your album.
*thinks*
Well, I would, if I could get it over here

Oh, that Royale Family sounds SO good. Sounds like Clerks or the earliest episodes of Seinfeld: All GOOD dialogue, not too much else. It's a good format to go with as long as there's good writing. Most shows don't have good enough writing to go with that, but I think, were I to do a show(it would be great, let me tell you), I'd HAVE to stick with that. I have lots of funny ideas, but no good execution.

Hey, if I got famous, four words: World tour. Backstage passes.

The Royle Family is genius, in the best sense of the word. Plus it has Ricky Tomlinson- a favourite actor of mine

Tweetie- suddenly liking the idea of having a famous friend

I've been signing yearbooks with an arrow pointing to my signature, which says, "Will be worth $$!"

Nice trick, must remember that one.
Not that we'll ever have a Yearbook again

What's with all the bitterness?

Well, for the last three years the Yearbook has been a disaster. And last year, when I was a junior (ie not allowed to do anything) committee member I got to see why. They're horribly organised (as in not at all), have no dedication, and only a handful of the people there are computer literate. It doesn't work.
So the chances of having a Yearbook this year are slim to none. Which is a total shame...