Line Out - Comments on Radiohead is Jawbreaker and Jawbreaker is Radiohead and... What the Fuck Does Indiana Jones Have to Do With It?

Comment by Ryan

Ryan — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 15:18:30 -0800

It's post like these that make me have a secret crush on you Megan Seling.

Comment by kevin jones

kevin jones — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 15:53:39 -0800

dear you is crap ... find yourself a copy of the "chesterfield king" ep please.

btw, radiohead is boring brit-papp at its worst.

sorry megan. love ya buddy.

Comment by kid icarus

kid icarus — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 16:21:20 -0800

*I* would argue that Bivouac is the best.

Comment by Eric

Eric — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 16:52:09 -0800

I've been intrigued by your continued references to Jawbreaker.
Dear You got me and my best friends through high school and (in conjunction with the Pixies) inspired us to start playing music together. I'm sorry but I think Jawbreaker's older stuff is kind of shitty and they simply just GOT BETTER and made Dear You. By the way, "Oyster" IS a really good song. The two-note-riff in the chorus is awesome and I can't think of any reason why a jawbreaker fan like you would hate it but still like all the other stuff - please explain. Out of curiousity, how do you feel about Jets to Brazil? I like'em. What ever happened to Blake Schwartzenbach anyways?
The Bends is the best radiohead album, followed closely by Pablo Honey.

Comment by christopher hong

christopher hong — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 18:40:10 -0800

Uh, "Oyster" sucks because of its god-awful lyrics. I mean there are some bad cliche'd couplets that Mr. Schwartzenbach gets away with in various songs but none are as egregiously bad as that song.

I mean, the first few lines are all I need to convince me to turn off my stereo.

"The world is an oyster / trapped in a shell / love the taste of it / but hate the smell"

Comment by Benji

Benji — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 20:02:55 -0800

Whatever "Christopher Hong" - that's a decent song with some good lyrics. That song isn't bad, it's just weak compared to the rest of the album (and just a small cut above "Lurker II").

PS, I just realized that Megan is definitively what was once known as an "Alterna-Teen."

No offense.

Comment by Eric Grandy

Eric Grandy — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 20:12:12 -0800

You talkin' smack on "alterna-teens" now, Benji? Hold me back, "Christopher Hong."

Comment by Carly D

Carly D — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 21:01:50 -0800

YEAH! Kid A! Way to admit the truth!

Comment by I'm a Nuclear Bomb

I'm a Nuclear Bomb — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 21:58:31 -0800

Wow, this is a really compelling post. Well done Megan, please post more. Your insight into contemporary pop music is what keeps me reading the Stranger.

Comment by Fawkes

Fawkes — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 22:29:51 -0800

Anything you like the best is best.

Although I can't imagine anyone taking Radiohead seriously anymore.

Comment by christian

christian — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 09:12:55 -0800

Happy just to find people with thesame obsession with Radiohead and Jawbreaker. Sooo good.
Dear You and Kid A certainly take the top positions, but 24 Revenge Therapy holds a different spot for me. Sort like how Pet Sounds ranks high, but you can't make direct comparisons.

Comment by kevin jones

kevin jones — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 11:16:30 -0800

"I'm sorry but I think Jawbreaker's older stuff is kind of shitty and they simply just GOT BETTER and made Dear You"

#4 - youre joking right?!?

dear you was a complete departure from what made jawbreaker such an interesting band to begin with. it was a really sorry attempt at garnering a mainstream audience, not that i have any of those "im punker than you because i was around back in the day" issues, but IMO Dear You is just simply a very bad pop record.

Bivouac is also a fantastic record and i would give it the # 2 spot.

Comment by gillsans

gillsans — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 11:58:09 -0800

I think it's awesome that most of the comments are about Jawbreaker and not Radiohead. Kid A? The Bends? Who gives a shit?! Let's get back to the 24 Hour/Dear You debate!

I'm with Megan, Dear You is my favorite Jawbreaker record, but I will concede that 24 Hour Revenge Therapy is probably the best Jawbreaker record. I will say, however, that 24 Hour Revenge Therapy has it's stinkers too (Ache? In Sadding Around?).

I just like these posts because then I'm required to fire up Jawbreaker on iTunes and decide once again if Dear You or 24 Hour Revenge Therapy is better.

Comment by gillsans

gillsans — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 12:04:36 -0800

Oh yeah, I think The Last Crusade is the best Indiana Jones Movie! (Maybe just because it was so much better than Temple of Doom).

Comment by The_Pope_Of_Chili_Town

The_Pope_Of_Chili_Town — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 12:28:25 -0800

Long time, no see. I'm at a new job and really shouldn't be screwing around here...
but for my $0.02 (which is the same since the last time we had this conversation):
1) 24 Hour is the best album
2) Dear You has some great songs, some not so good. I don't think it was a grab at a mainstream audience, it just sounded different because Geffin was footing the bill.
3) Unfun is awesome because it sounds like no one was footing the bill (loud and raw).
4) Bivouac is fine, but I lose interest in some of the songs.
5) Kiss the Bottle is the best Jawbreaker (and possibly best song) ever.
6) Sorry to be this guy, but I fucking hate Radiohead. I've really tried to get into them, I've listened to every album. But I just don't get it.
7) Raiders of the Lost Ark is the best.

Comment by kevin jones

kevin jones — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 13:20:00 -0800

btw, if i only knew then what i know now

Comment by Megan Seling

Megan Seling — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 14:56:41 -0800

These comments are making me smile.

Eric @ 4: See what Chris says in 5. Same goes for me.

Benji @ 6: You just now realized that? I've known for years

Comment by Eric

Eric — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 15:34:20 -0800

I can't defend the lyrics on "oyster" but @5, if you're going to print some lyrics in order to diss them, make sure you get it right. It's actually "like the taste of it, but can't take the smell". I mean, hey, it rhymes and it does make sense, but yes, that song's lyrics aren't so strong (and i'm not trying to say it's their best song or anything) but it seems arbitrary that "oyster" sucks and the other ones don't. whatever though, not trying to dwell on this one small issue.
@12 - Mr. Jones, you probably are "punker than me" and that's fine if it makes you feel better to point that out. I found the songs on Dear You to be by far the most accessible and memorable of all their work.

So, any thoughts on Blake Schwartzenbach's next band Jets to Brazil?
What ever happened to him anyways?
I wonder if he reads the Stranger online...

Comment by gillsans

gillsans — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 16:12:32 -0800

Orange Rhyming Dictionary=Best Album of all time. Four Cornered Night? meh. Not that great. Perfecting Loneliness? Pretty good, but not as good as Orange Rhyming Dictionary.

I've listened to Orange Rhyming Dictionary a couple hundred times and I don't think I'll ever get sick of it. Every time I listen to it, I have a new favorite song. Conrad is my favorite song though (I'm not suicidal, I swear!).

Haven't heard what ol' Blake is up to lately. I keep hearing scuttlebutt about a Jawbreaker documentary...

Comment by nerd

nerd — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 03:46:45 -0800

Blake teaches english at Hunter College in NY, if anyone is curious about his current happenings.

Comment by sjsj

sjsj — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 22:30:02 -0800

Finally, someone mentioned Jets To Brazil. Four Cornered Night is gorgeous..