Warning: Here there be cliches!

[Michal]

Don't say I didn't warn you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Look in the mirror.

You,Äôve heard it so many times its lost its real meaning. You look in the mirror and what are you looking at?

Your waistline? Hafta go on that diet or so-and-so will never look my way. Why not?

Those dark circles? Working late hours at that soul-sucking job of yours, or getting up at unholy hours of the morning to get to school. Good for you.

That zit you hope no one notices? Clear skin is necessary to be Popular ,Ñ¢

You should look in your eyes. What do you see in them? Weary resignation? Or a coiled dragon?

We are conditioned from birth to be Popular,Ñ¢

It,Äôs the American Way.

Now throw it all away. All those concerns about what They think.

Ask yourself: What makes Them happy? You being shepherded through life, thats what.

What does a shepherd do to the sheep, really? I,Äôll tell you.

They force them from point ,ÄúA,Äù to point ,ÄúB,Äù. They shear them twice a year, and when they can get away with it, they eat a sheep or two. That,Äôs assuming they,Äôre not into the ,Äúfriendly farm animal,Äù bit, in which case, they screw you too.

We are conditioned from birth to be Popular,Ñ¢

To be a well-oiled cog in the machine, interlocking and running smoothly with the others in the machine.

Now stop.

When we set aside the things they tell us with Barbie dolls and G.I. Joes, when we stop caring what they think, we become an anomaly.

They don,Äôt like anomalies. Anomalies are dangerous, so they make the road easy for those sheep who heed the shepherd,Äôs crooks, and try to minimize anomalies.

Now comes the hard part: transformation from cog to big, stinkin,Äô MONKEY WRENCH!!

From complacent sheep to ugly-ass GOAT!!

Don,Äôt be Popular,Ñ¢

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I warned you about the cliches. No, you may not have your five minutes back, no flash photography, thank you in advance for your CONSTRUCTIVE criticism.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

9/10.

But there's nothing wrong with BEING popular, so long as you don't have to be someone else while doing so.

So maybe "stop trying to be popular"?

Just my $0.02

TGRR,
Thinks that kicked ass, especially as a first attempt.

[Michal]

Thanks!

[LMNO]

Nice work, LG.

Keep going.  Work that theme, baby.


Don't you ever stop, long enough to start, take that care outta that gear.





Sorry, channeling Joe Strummer, again.

[AFK]

good stuff.  I definitely can relate to what you wrote about especially when I was in high school all those moons ago.  Popularity is overrated.  Notoriety and infamy, on the other hand, should be relished like a fine, um, relish.

[Michal]

Thanks, y'all! :P


















...But whos Joe Strummer?

LG,
-Damn kid.

[LMNO]

Sorry about this, LG......



WAYSA?

[Michal]

::does a search, reads::

Ah. I see.

[AFK]

...But whos Joe Strummer?

It's who Billie Joe Armstrong wishes he was.

[Michal]

Sad truth: Green Day went emo. I still occasionally turn on some of their old stuff, though.

Another sad truth: Avenged Sevenfold is inching towards emo. I still listen to their old stuff, too.

Why are good bands going emo?

[AFK]

Sorry, can't help there.  I'm not all that big on either one of those bands.  AS sound like they have promise and I have to give them credit for helping to bring back the art of the guitar solo to mainstream music but I just can't stand the vocalist.  His voice is very grating.  

And I've never liked Green Day.  I was a big Nirvana fan back in the days before MTV turned them into the "Grunge Gods" so when Green Day and Offspring came onto the scene after Cobain had a lead lunch I think I was a bit bitter.

[Michal]

Yeah, I know. I'm more into Waking the Fallen than City of Evil.

Edit: And the vocalist sounds better in the old stuff too. He doesn't have the right voice for melodic metal.

[deet]

Sad truth: Green Day went emo. I still occasionally turn on some of their old stuff, though.

Another sad truth: Avenged Sevenfold is inching towards emo. I still listen to their old stuff, too.

Why are good bands going emo?

emo probably fits the "To-Be-A-Hit" formula more than their old stuff

"Do they say anythign about love?" <yes.
"Do they say anything about hurt?" <yes.
"Do they make people feel like life is a bottomless pit of despair?" < yes.
"Three verses, good transition to chorus?" < yes.
"Grade four vocabulary?" <yes.
"Anything stand out from their last big hit?" < no.

THEY'RE IN!

[Michal]

I died a little when I listened to American Idiot.

[LMNO]

That's weird; American Idiot was probably their best work since Dookie.


LMNO
-knows punk is more than a loud guitar and a fast beat.

PS - Deet, that's a brilliant summation.