Doomkid

So, this is a response to a recently helled thread, but it was just so interesting (and relatively tame as far as mudslinging in EE goes) that I feel the urge to make one last point on the matter. If you guys want me to obliterate this thread, just tell me and I will.

dew said:

Heh, I'm not asking you to feed hungry necks yourself, I'm saying both America and Australia are extremely resource-rich and aren't even nearly tapping their potential yet.

I know you weren't saying that I personally should be feeding the hungry, it's just that we're currently projected to continually eat away at these abundant resources until they're, well, not so abundant. That's not to mention that available resources is only one aspect: we also have the issue of extreme pollution as a result of our current level of manufacturing. We really do need to be taking steps to curb this stuff, not to speed it up, and an ever growing population (with less jobs to go around no less thanks to how cheap it is to automate stuff) is going to guarantee these issues only get worse.

Population isn't the only factor in this kind of thing of course - For example, more sustainable means of manufacturing should also be encouraged/funded, but we can't pretend population isn't an issue worthy of addressing. Also worth nothing, the best way to curb population growth is through the dirty E word - education. Statistically, a smarter population breeds less rampantly.

That's right, a whole thread about the deadly stache.

The other day I was among a group of coworkers who are all into rock music and not a single one of them knew anything about Zappa, not even a single song he had written. Not one. This kind of baffled me, but at the same time, he's pretty obscure these days and was always considered pretty far out even when he was alive. I figured I'd dump a bunch of great Zappa tunes in one easy spot.

Zappa wrote some of my all-time favorite pieces. There's a big chunk of his material that simply isn't for me as it's too unconventional/'out there', but it's really quite astonishing that one dude could write in such a myriad of styles and genres. Given his enthusiasm for finding new sounds and pushing the boundaries, I suppose it shouldn't be all that surprising.

Below is a condensed list of Zappa songs I really like. The first few are my absolute favorites, and everything that follows is just a mix of stuff I can put on at any time and love listening to.

Keep in mind, humor was always one of Zappa's focal points when writing music, not just in terms of lyrics, but in terms of instrumental sounds as well. The sounds can range anywhere from rock to jazz to classical to just goofy as hell, but I love them all. At the end of the day, humor really is just one small aspect of it all. Listen to a few for yourself and see what you think:

Uncle Remus
Apostrophe'
Transylvania Boogie
Watermelon in Easter Hay
I Am The Slime
50/50
Road Ladies
G-Spot Tornado
We Are Not Alone
Dumb All Over
Heavenly Bank Account
Dirty Love
Muffin Man
Your Mouth
Bobby Brown Goes Down
Joe's Garage
Keep It Greasey
Why Does it Hurt When I Pee?
A Token of My Extreme
Harder Than Your Husband
The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing
Stick Together
Camarillo Brillo
Beauty Knows No Pain
We're Turning Again
Night School
Promiscuous
Jesus Thinks You're a Jerk
Dancin' Fool
Don't Eat The Yellow Snow
Tinsel Town Rebellion
Be In My Video
I'm So Happy I Could Cry
I'm Not Satisfied
Why Don'tcha Do Me Right?
Would You Go All The Way?
Eat That Question
Bolero (Cover)
Whippin' Post (Cover)


I could listen to a playlist of those songs almost endlessly. Of course, if you don't want my hand-picked favorites and just want to dive into some Zappa albums, I would recommend Joe's Garage, Overnite Sensation, Chunga's Revenge, Apostrophe', Freak Out!, Broadway the Hard Way, Does Humor Belong in Music?, and Sheik Yerbouti. When listened to in one sitting, Zappa's albums tend to tell a really funny, interesting or even sad story, so if that sounds appealing, maybe one of these will be up your alley.

Aside from his music, Zappa was a guy who I really respect. He valued the constitution and actively fought to defend freedom of speech, the kind of guy who would defend your right to say what you want even if he wholeheartedly disagreed with you. His albums and songs were regularly restricted from radio play and many record stores refused to stock his albums, back when they were new releases. He received constant backlash for the content of his albums, and it's extra hilarious given how tame it all is by modern standards.

Anyway, that's the end of my rant, I hope some of you get some entertainment out of it.