I don't believe in possession. Satan is more subtle than that.

Overplayed: Anything by The Ramones, The White Stripes, The Rolling Stones, Slayer, Tool, Pearl Jam... There's no shortage of "classic" bands that I just don't get.

Underplayed: Anything by Duran Duran made after 1982, Dream Theater, King Crimson, and sorry, Flownover, but Roky Erickson is the [COC violation] man!

o/~ Hold me closer Tony Danza o/~

I never understood the seething hatred the poor guy got on the internet. It's annoying when you look up a classic rock video on YouTube and the top comment is about how much the poster hates Justin Bieber.

At least that's how I used to feel. Now it's starting to look like his lantern's not quite lit.

On any other week I'd agree with you 100%.

But after all we've heard how can you not suspect that they're just looking for an excuse to go after Fox? This administration has no credibility.

I still don't understand the appeal of Voyage Home. I mean you want to talk about left wing propaganda delivered with all the subtlety of an anvil falling on Wil E. Coyote's head and wrapped in forced, unfunny comedy...

And unelected bureaucrats in Belgium should force the rest of the continent to adopt this practice because...?

Worms in a vinegar jar are already covered by local and/or national sanitation laws. There is absolutely no reason for Brussels to get involved here.

Uhm... Whatever happened to "Rule of law, not of men"? I love Kevin Wiliamson, and share his loathing of people like Ms. C, but he still broke the law.

Regarding Khan's race lift, note that the only person to ever call him, "Khan Noonien Singh" is Old Spock. Everyone else just calls him, "Khan." This might indicate that in this universe Khan is some sort of code name. John Harrison might even be his real name for all we know.

Personally I thought this was one of the best sequels ever. Up there with Empire Strikes Back and Dark Knight.

I similarly had a friend, who was actually not a progressive/statist (he generally kept his politics to himself, but I suspect he was a libertarian) who said he wouldn't vote for Obama because he wanted a president who would survive the inauguration.

It's even worse when you do understand music theory*, but your ears are not up to the task of recognizing all the things you know you should be looking for.

*I'm a self-taught songwriter. Mostly melodic metal/hard rock with some prog-rock influence, which is where the music theory comes in.

What I said in my defense of John Williams earlier applies equally to all genres. Write a good melody and sing/play it well and you'll win me over. It's also why I have no patience for genres like extreme metal ("Singing is for wusses!") and most punk/garage rock ("Who cares if my guitar's out of tune? It's all about the mood.")

I hate that society forces us to choose between Rick Santorum and Lena Dunham when it comes to our attitudes toward sexuality. No one knows how to be just-a-little-naughty anymore.

I also hate that people have started to view morality in purely utilitarian terms. Too few people are willing to accept that an act can be short-term harmless and still be morally wrong.

What do I like? How much time you got? I'm a socially awkward technophile; I love being able to carry 44 days worth of music in my left pocket and a couple dozen books in my right. If I didn't have a computer, I wouldn't have any friends. (And if you want to see me blow my stack, tell me they're not "real.")

Fair enough. Still don't fully agree, but at least your counter-examples are ones I can respect. :)

To be honest, Copeland and Shostakovich are precisely the sort of "younger than I thought" composers that led me to hedge my statement in the first place.

Now that I think about it, that seems to be the unifying factor in all so-called "high art" in the 20th century, a lack of form. Music has no key; poetry has no meter; literature has no plot; painting and sculpture have no shape...

The problem is that, in the 20th century, all those adjectives you list generally point to atonal dreck that nobody but snobby artistes would ever want to listen to. The Ramones were innovative and influential; they were also awful musicians. Give me an interesting melody (and please don't over-analyze the meaning of "interesting") and have it performed by talented musicians. That's all I care about. John Williams does that better than anyone working in the orchestral genre in the 20th century.

Addendum regarding film scores: As I type this, I'm listening to Danny Elfman's first foray into proper classical music, Seranada Schizophrana. I recommend it.