I Like You... "Summer Heights High"

"I like you..." is a recurring section of "Where the Wild Things Were Last Thursday Around 8" which highlights the best of the best, the cream of the crop, the people, places and things that make each and every day a little more bearable just because they happen to exist.

Reader, I'll be honest with you. I had a very, very difficult time deciding who or what I was going to induct into the "I Like You..." hall of fame this week. I batted around the idea of honoring one of Rochester, New York's best and brightest, up and coming, super talented stand-up comedians; namely, one Billy T. Anglin. But, I know Billy a very little bit and, even though I truly believe him to be the best comic in Rochester right now, I'm going to wait a little while before I induct Mr. Anglin into this prestigious, albeit tiny, club. However, because I shamelessly promote anything I enjoy, it is now mandatory that all Last Thursdayers out there seek out Billy on Facebook or Myspace or whatever the f_ck you kids are using these days. Like all local artists in any city it is a constant struggle to get your foot firmly planted in the door, so any support and encouragement my lovely readers can provide Billy T. Anglin and all the local comics (Nigel Larson, Katie Wood, A.J, Dr. Will, etc. etc.) trying to get their big break would be hugely appreciated by myself and the entire staff of "Where the Wild Things Were Last Thursday Around 8." Okay, I'm done shamelessly plugging the locals, so, as they say on Broadway, "on with the show!"

I spent last Christmas by myself because my girlfriend was out of town visiting her family and my family decided they'd have a better holiday if I wasn't involved (I have a tendency to start drinking as soon as my nephews start opening their presents, by 10:00 AM I'm swearing at the decorations because they won't stop taunting me with their joy). So, I celebrated the birth of your lord and savior Jesus Christ by getting hammered on Pabst Blue Ribbon while I watched the entire second season of The Sopranos. It was, far and away, the best Christmas I've ever spent teetering on the edge of alcohol induced manic depression.

This is the most accurate depiction of last Christmas that a Google Image search could provide.

Needless to say I was ecstatic when my lady friend arrived home from her travels, because, as usual, she brought back with her a laundry list of TV shows, books, movies and hair products that her family knew we'd enjoy, because they are way, way more hip than either of us, and without their help we'd just be getting around to this "Golden Girls" show people like so much. On the tippity top of the list was a show from Australia I'd never heard of called "Summer Heights High," and if you've followed this blog with any regularity you know that I never want to do what people tell me I'll enjoy, because by default I am impossible to please, so I fanned away her suggestion with a "meh" and continued on, full steam ahead, into The Sopranos third season.

When I was done with the entire run of The Sopranos a month and a half later I was hungry for something new, something good and something that didn't make the Jersey shore look so cool, so I asked my lady love if she had any suggestions and when she brought up "Summer Heights High" this time around I was all for it and promptly moved the entire series to the top of the Netflix queue. When it arrived at our doorstep a couple of days later I didn't know what to expect, the only summary the love of my life could give me was "well it's one guy, he plays the three main characters, and it is Australian, I thought it was hysterical, but I didn't watch that much of it" I'm paraphrasing of course, but that is the gist of it right there. I honestly thought I'd just agreed to watch a performance art piece from Down Under about the ecstasy and agony of growing up in the Australian public school system; well, I was way, way off.

"Summer Heights High," is, at best, the type of show that covers the entire spectrum of human emotion while remaining firmly grounded in its comedy roots. It is shot in the faux-documentary style that is quickly becoming cliched, but it is not detrimental to any area of the show, and in fact provides the perfect setting for getting to know the three main characters, all of which are played brilliantly by the show's creator, Chris Lilley. And, it is the three main characters that make the show utterly brilliant... seriously, it's incredible to watch one guy play three different people with such vastly different personalities and mannerisms... because they are at first these wholly goofy characters that seem ready made for wacky, flamboyant and slapstickish physical TV comedy, but as the show begins to unfold so do the characters themselves and you start to realize how good it all really is.

From Left: Chris Lilley, Chris Lilley and Chris Lilley
From Left: Jonah, Ja'mie and Mr. G

Okay, the picture I posted above may not be the best representation of Chris Lilley's ability to slip into "Summer Heights High's" main characters, because it is only a visual representation, but you really do need to watch the show to get the full effect, because at the beginning when the viewer first meets Mr. G he comes off as your average, every day super flamboyant homosexual drama teacher with a penchant for nabbing the spotlight for himself as long as it doesn't interrupt his nihilism. But, as the show moves from episode to episode Lilley wisely stays within the walls of the fictional high school and slowly reveals Mr. G's aspirations and dreams and how he came to be part of the Summer Heights High faculty, and before you know it you really feel for the guy, despite the fact that he's obviously an ego maniacal, power hungry show off that wants nothing more than to have the attention of everyone in the room at all times no matter what room he is in. Not to mention one of his students (and, oddly a good friend it appears) is a boy with Down Syndrome named Toby who aspires to be (and eventually gets the chance) Mr. G. It is really a lot more touching than it sounds, trust me, you have no choice.

Mr. G, as amazing as he is, is only the anchor that keeps the show in place, because he is an adult and his age and station in life allows him the opportunity to be the "constant" to the shows teenaged characters, Jonah and Ja'mie who are, for better or worse, stuck in the teenage hell that is figuring out where you fit in, so they are always up to something, always changing, where Mr. G is always up to one thing (making himself a star) and never really veers off course. Now, it should be said that both Jonah and Ja'mie have their very own cliques and each is, of course, the leader of that group, but, man they couldn't be further apart on the personality and social scale that rules high school with an ugly, iron fist.

Jonah Takalua is the "problem child" of Summer Heights High, and it doesn't help that he is from the Pacific island of Tonga; which, and I didn't know this before, is a problem. Islanders are not treated well in the universe of "Summer Heights High," to the point where even the teachers have a bias against them. In a scene early in the season, Jonah and his friends walk into class just a little bit late and the super bitchy teacher I want to kick in the stomach says "oh, look who decided to show up, if it isn't the islander boys." Written out like that it looks harmless, but to hear this f_cking shrew of a woman say it is infuriating. Anyway, Jonah isn't the smartest kid in the world, but he is one of the biggest and so has spent the majority of his life using his size to intimidate his way around the social hierarchy of school life. He is on the outside, but he is also on the inside because he could kick some ass if he had to... this is all first episode stuff. After a few episodes you start to get the sense that Jonah isn't just a prick because he's big and bored with school, and you find out that he has some serious learning problems which are, I believe, the root of his frustration. But, let's be honest, we all knew kids like that growing up and they were dicks. Still, Jonah becomes the character that makes you cry, he is the only member of the show that makes you, the viewer, feel every single emotion you can think of and then some. It is truly amazing to watch, and yes, you will be in tears at the end of the last episode, so be warned.

And then there's Ja'mie. Shrill, annoying, petulant, spoiled Ja'mie. I have never in my entire life hated a 16 year old girl as much as I hate Ja'mie; which means Chris Lilley f_cking nails his portrayal of the private school girl who volunteered for the exchange program that would send the top student at Summer Heights High to Ja'mie's private school for a year, because it would make Ja'mie look good. Reader, let me tell you something I'm not proud of: I have, many, many times forgotten that Ja'mie is not really a 16 year old spoiled b_tch. While watching the show I find myself thinking and saying aloud to my embarrassment "if that girl is anything like that in real lif... of f_ck it's a guy, right, right... man he's good at playing a 16 year old girl... that's pretty creepy... ah she's such a b_tch!" Ja'mie is the worst kind of girl you knew in high school, because she's the one who knows she's hot (not really, but in the context of the show she's supposed to be, play along now kids), knows she has more money than everyone else, and wants absolutely nothing more than be popular and pretty for the rest of her life, so that's exactly how she is, and she'll do anything to get what she wants. Ja'mie goes so far as to throw a fake AIDS fundraiser, so her and her friends can afford to throw a formal dance. She routinely calls her public school friends "povo" (which is like saying "poor redneck" in the states), "skanks," "triad asian," and pretty much any derogatory name in the book. She doesn't win her battles with kindness, she scares away the competition with b_tchiness, but, as usual Chris Lilley has layered this little girl so well that you start to see the chinks in her armor pretty early on, but unlike Jonah and Mr. G, you never feel bad for Ja'mie. She. Is. The. Worst. And, the show is infinitely better for it. You do need a villain, after all.

"Summer Heights High" is no longer on HBO and there will most likely be no future episodes, and that is the way it should be. The 8 episodes of the only season are some of the best television I've ever had the opportunity to watch and any additional episodes would likely ruin the experience. I can't tell you how much of an impact the show has on your emotional and mental state, because I'm assuming it will be a different for everyone, but it is the experience that matters. As much as I love "30 Rock," "The Office," "Fawlty Towers," "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and a whole host of other television shows that I could have inducted into the "I like you..." hall of fame, I chose "Summer Heights High," because in my humble opinion, the world would be better off with a little more Mr. G and a little less Jim Halpert.

Congratulations on your induction into the "I Like You..." hall of fame, as usual you will not be receiving a free t-shirt.

I Like You... Maria Bamford

"I like you..." is a recurring section of "Where the Wild Things Were Last Thursday Around 8" which highlights the best of the best, the cream of the crop, the people, places and things that make each and every day a little more bearable just because they happen to exist.

I can't believe it took me this long to get around to electing a stand-up comedian to the "I Like You..." hall of fame, and I really can't believe it took me this long to elect a woman. So, I'm pleased to announce that the newest member of the "I Like You..." hall of fame is none other than the mistress of a million voices and the funniest f_cking female comedian I've ever seen, Maria Bamford.

You're welcome, World.

There's a good chance you've never heard of Maria Bamford, or Morgan Murphy or any number of super talented, super funny female comics working right now, because being a female stand-up comedian is incredibly difficult. I don't know why, because the funniest person I ever knew (my mother) was a woman, and no one makes me laugh harder or more often than my girlfriend, so why is it that female comedians are treated like second class citizens in the comedy world? Are we really still stuck in a "men only" vortex of comedy that gave us such talented individuals as Dane Cook or Larry the Cable Guy? No, that can't be right. Sarah Silverman is almost a bonafide celebrity these days, so what gives? Do you have to be a potty mouthed brunette with a fetish for making people feel awkward to succeed in comedy as a woman? Or would the general public rather watch a dumpy, balding middle aged man rant about politics and his barren sex life for 20 minutes at a time? Honestly, I'm asking you, my reader to tell me what the f_ck is going on, because this just can't stand. I truly believe that some of the funniest comedians of all time have been women. Lucille Ball, Phyllis Diller, Rita Rudner, Ellen Degeneres, Roseanne and any number of the other women who made a name for themselves in what was largely a boys club. (Full disclosure: I hate Whoopi Goldberg with a passion, but it has nothing to do with her being a woman, and everything to do with the lack of comedy that takes place in her "act") So why isn't Maria breathtakingly famous right now? Why isn't she hosting her own day time talk show battling Oprah and Ellen for ratings? I don't know if there will ever be an answer to that question that actually makes sense.

I don't want to get into an overly long discussion about sexism in the comedy world, because this is not the time or the place. This is when I'm honoring Maria Bamford for her contributions to the world of comedy. So, without going into too much detail, I'd just like to point out that Ms. Bamford is more than a slew of silly voices, warped characters and odd songs. She's a stellar performer and an incredibly intelligent and subversive writer. Why not take a look for yourself?

She's awesome right? I mean, look how seemlessly she slips from one voice to the next. You've got to be quick to keep up with Maria's quirk, because if you blink you might miss something beautiful. Her transitions are, in my opinion, the best in the business. They are not quite non-sequiturs, but they're definitely disjointed, and somehow everything flows so naturally it makes me wonder what special kind of mental disorder Maria has that allows her to control the voices in her head with such effortless grace. I know when I'm on stage I say "uhm" more than I should and my go to line when I'm stuck between bits is "what else," and let me tell you, when you're an audience member and a guy like me is sputtering out a bunch of poorly written jokes that are even more poorly performed, its infuriating at worst and annoying as hell at best. Guys like me, the hacks of the comedy world, are peanuts compared to the brilliant mind of Maria Bamford.

I'm positive that if you put me in a room with my current comedy heroes (Patton Oswalt, Zach Galifianakis, David Cross, Eugene Mirman, Brian Posehn, Dana Gould etc.) not only would I be awed by their presence, but the only one I would be nervous about talking to would be Maria Bamford. I don't know that I could keep up with her. I don't know whether or not I would try to make some zany comment that would derail the conversation and set it into a sh_t spiral of awkward pauses and disgrunteld sighs, because I'd most likely try to recite her act back to her and explain why it is so damn good. With that I'm going to make the election of Maria Bamford in the "I Like You..." hall of fame officail.

As usual, Ms. Bamford, you can expect a complimentary "I like you..." hall of fame t-shirt* within the next 6-8 weeks. Thank you for everything you've done for comedy in general and for the countless times you've made me laugh. Mark my words, madame, your time will come and the entire world will know your name.

*there will be no t-shirt

You're Not Helping

I've remained quiet on the political front because I really don't know what I'm talking about. I've never been educated in political science or the way things "ought to be," outside of Walden 2 and Socrates. I'm not a pundit. I'm not a politician. I'm just a guy with a blog, a dog and a job he hates going to every morning. In other words: I'm just like you. But, unlike the majority of uninformed, under educated Americans out there, I like to keep my mouth shut and listen to what's happening. I try to gather the information I can gather and use it to make my own decisions regarding whatever issue it is I'm thinking about. Also, politics is too heavy a subject for a blog like mine. It is incredibly hard to write a good joke about America's current economic situation, it's health care reform issues, the birthers, the tea parties and everything else that is far too serious to be made fun of... luckily I'm a dick.

I spent my lunch hour today listening to President Obama's address to a joint session of The House and The Senate from last night (I would have watched it live, but I was in the middle of watching Lost... see I'm really unqualified for this "important stuff) and, as usual, I'm incredibly impressed with Mr. Obama's ability to give a speech that makes, good, logical sense and always seems to come from an honest, emotional place that resonates with any one listening who happens to agree with his point of view. That said, he's got to be driving the opposition insane. Right? I mean, think about it, at least Dubya was a bumbling Texan with his head up his ass who couldn't stutter out a sentence without ending up on The Daily Show, but this Obama guy, f_ck me, the man knows how to rally a crowd, he knows how to speak eloquently and intelligently and from the heart without insulting everyone's intelligence. It's a fresh. It's funky. It's f_cking awesome.

"Mr. President who is awesome?" "YOU, are awesome, America!"

There's something reassuring about a President who can put a sentence together without sounding like he's trying to sell you the Brooklyn Bridge. There's no pressure involved when you listen to President Obama make a speech; all you have to do is listen quietly and applaud as necessary, because he's not trying to convince you, and (here's the best part) he doesn't have to. Why? Well, the Democratic party is in control of the House and Senate, so he's got that going for him; which is nice, but aside from that he's (brace yourself) the mother f_cking President of the United States of America. That means he's the man in charge. That means he will not go quietly into that dark night. That means, no matter where you stand politically, he is to be respected and listened to without going all nutty.

Maybe I'm not being fair, because towards the end of the Bush administration a lot of people were protesting, but Bush himself (not just his political stances) was the target, because he just didn't seem quite right. Everything President Bush did seemed to come with a wink and a nod, like he was giving a shout out to the Skull and Bones club members he was working for (that's a joke... he worked for Haliburton) Hell, the last two years of his presidency the man may as well have spent his time sun bathing on the White House lawn wearing nothing more than a pink speedo, because no one would have cared as long as he wasn't making any important decisions. We were too caught up in the coming election, and we, as a people mind you, were too eager to get him out of office. Not the Republican party. Not just Dick "Buckshot" Cheney. No, the American people wanted Ol' Dubya out, and that is exactly what they got. We, as a people, elected the exact opposite of President Bush when we showed up in near American Idol levels to vote for a guy named Barack Hussein Obama ( I still can't wrap my head around how impressive that is), and America is better because of it.

Not only have we showed the entire world that we can get over a very large speed bump named "racism," but we have also showed ourselves what we really wanted all along, and that is someone who knows what he's doing, can garner support without being devious and actually thinks about what he's going to do before he does it (Biden aside). So, when I'm sitting down to watch a presidential address I don't expect to hear the opposition shouting at the President, because I assumed we were past that... f_ck me was I wrong.

Last night, a Congressman by the name of Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) shouted "you lie" when President Obama confirmed that his current health care reform bill will not apply to illegal aliens. Isn't that nice?

Pictured Above: A Giant C_ck.

To put this in perspective, imagine you're at a funeral and you're quietly listening to the eulogy, people are in tears all around you, everyone is contemplating their own miserable existence and the futility of life, and the speaker gets to a point in his speech where he says "so and so was a great, man, a loving man, a humble man and an amazing father," when from the back of the church someone yells "No he wasn't! He was a prick and he owes me $50!" Because that's what it was like when I heard Rep. Wilson shout "You lie" during the President's speech.

I know a lot of news media has already tweeted about this, but I'm not a member of the press ( I don't even have a Twitter account), I'm just some idiot sitting at his desk wasting time at work, but I'm also an American who doesn't like the way my country has turned ugly. It's one thing when you've got a bunch of yahoos dressed up in colonial garb barking about taxes at "tea parties" (ugh... f_cking idiots, when have we ever not had to pay taxes...f_ck!), but when an elected member of Congress has the cojones to sit there and yell out "you lie" during a presidential address, I've just about had it with all the wackos out there and the people who keep prodding them along. Sure, Joe Wilson has apologized for being the biggest douche cookie in the world, but that doesn't mean he can take back what he already did; which was embarrass himself, his party and the people who voted him into office.

Or did he?

I've reached the crucial part of my disconnect from the way people think nowadays, because to me Joe Wilson is an embarrassment and should be kicked out of office for interrupting the Commander in Chief with such egregious slander, but is that what the people who voted for him want? Probably not. To them, meaning the Republican, super conservative voters, Joe Wilson is a hero, a man who was willing to stand up for what he believes in no matter what the situation calls for, even if that means making a complete and total ass of himself during President Obama's address (which he did). You can put Joe Wilson on the shelf next to "Death Panels" Palin, "Obama is a Racist" Beck and "Gimme Burgers and Vicodin" Limbaugh when it comes to hyper conservative republican heroes, because if there is anything I've learned that hard core neo-cons love, it's a crazy person with an axe to grind.

At least when liberals (I don't really like them either) were protesting the war in Iraq they made sense, and now most people can agree that we are there for a really flimsy reason, but we backed ourselves into a corner that we've got to find a way out of before it gets too late (here's a clue... it's always been too late), because for the most part people are not the retarded refuse of the republican party that I seem to think they are. For the most part, people are calm, cool headed and thoughtful about things like war. What. The. F_ck. War!? Really? You accept that argument, but you'll freak the f_ck out over health care reform; which is a vital aspect of almost every truly civilized nation in the world? But I thought...? But you said...? Nah, this can't be right... can it?

"I'm normally not a praying man, but if you're up there, please save us Superman!"

Sadly, it is. People who had no objections to getting involved in a war that they were lied to about (WMDs, remember those you assholes?) are acting like a pack of jackals with a brand new bone over something as inert as health care reform; which I realize is truly not that tame an issue, but come on! Millions of American citizens, citizens like you and I, are suffering because they have no health care at all. I'm lucky, my job has great benefits which include full health care coverage as long as I'm employed here, but if I lose my job I'm f_cked, and that's how it is for the majority of us out there who can't afford the premiums of huge insurance companies, because we just don't make enough money. Shoot, if I was a stand-up comedian full time there is a decent chance that unless I landed my own "Everybody Loves Raymond" type sitcom I'd be sh_t out of luck in the health care department even then. And, honestly, does the Republican party think the bulk of their Mid-Western, trailer park living constituency can afford ample health care? Do they not realize the very people who voted for them are the ones that crowd emergency rooms across the country because they can't afford Blue Cross? Or, and this is much more upsetting, do those conservative voters not realize they are getting screwed over by a party that really just wants their vote and not their voice?

Listen, I was educated by a steady diet of T.V and Comic Books with some schooling sprinkled in, so I am definitely not the person you want to listen to about something this serious, but I still get to virtually spread my opinion around thanks to the Internet, so take from this what you will. Disagree if you'd like, and feel free to leave me a comment, because I'm always open to a rational discussion, but please, all I'm asking is that you think for yourselves and try really hard not to disgrace a country that is recovering from 8 years of bad management practices. I'm not sure Obama will be a great president or even a good one, but I am sure he's trying, so let's at least give him the benefit of the doubt and stop acting like petulant 5 year old brats who didn't get the bike they wanted for Christmas in the right shade of red. You're embarrassing me, my country and worst of all yourselves. Just think. Please. That's all anyone has ever wanted from anyone else. Because, a moment of thought overcomes an eternity of regret. Think about that, please.

I Like You... Daniel Johnston... I like you, alot.

"I like you..." is a recurring section of "Where the Wild Things Were Last Thursday Night Around 8" which highlights the best of the best, the cream of the crop, the people, places and things that make each and every day a little more bearable just because they happen to exist.

If you are reading my blog and you have not seen the documentary "The Devil and Daniel Johnston" I demand you run out to your local video disc dispensary and search relentlessly until it is in your possession. Do not give up. I repeat DO NOT GIVE UP. It must be seen before you continue to read this post. I'll wait.

The DVD cover looks like this, you're welcome.

Okay, since you've watched the movie now I'll continue, because have you ever seen a more captivating figure than Daniel Johnston? (The answer is no, you haven't) Have you ever listened to more passionate music that makes you want to rip your heart out of your chest and give it a big hug? (Again, no, you haven't) Didn't it make you want to run up to every wannabe pop skank and punch them in their smug, talentless faces? (Yes, it did... for me at least) I honestly can't remember when I have felt this moved by a documentary; which is why Daniel Johnston, songwriter, guitar player, chord organ maestro and all around ambassador of all things awesome, is the second person to be inducted into the "I Like You..." hall of fame.

I'm not a music nerd, nor have I ever been, but for a brief moment in time I was really, really into music. Specifically, Martin Sexton, Radiohead and The Doors. If you were in my car or at my house there was a very good chance you'd catch me smoking a cigarette, listening to "Kid A" and trying very hard to keep from going as insane as the music. You could say the same for The Doors, because morning, noon and night I had some form of Morrison and Co. playing in the background, and once again I listened to the music as a reminder of how crazy I was trying not to become. Then there's Martin Sexton. Sweet, sweet Martin Sexton and his out of this world voice and song writing style that harkens back to a simpler, less complicated musical era, but somehow managed to remain modern and hip and just damn good to listen to. I spent an entire month listening to nothing but Mr. Sexton, because I'm a big, obsessive cumpulsive nerd. Well, Daniel Johnston bitch slaps all three of them and makes me wish I never wasted that much time and money on music.

Two weeks ago I was blessed by circumstance. My girlfriend had suggested I put "The Devil and Daniel Johnston" on our Netflix Queue and I did, but it was 3 down from the top, because to be honest I wasn't that interested in seeing it, so I had Patton Oswalt's newest stand-up special ("My Weakness is Strong" also a must see for you Last Thursdayers out there) and "Adventureland" at the top of the queue. But, because God is present in all things good, there was a short wait for both and when I checked the mail a couple days later hidden behind the red Netflix envelope was "The Devil and Daniel Johnston." I was prepared to be bored and unimpressed, because I am the hipster d-bag boyfriend who folds his arms and stares at things he doesn't like just so the people in the room know for sure that I am their superior and incredibly condescending at all times. But when the movie opened up and I heard Daniel Johnston introduced as "the greatest living songwriter" my attention piqued and the rest of the movie felt like I was riding on the back of a rocket named "Holy Sh_t This is Incredible." (Yes, I'm aware that's a long name for a rocket, but f_ck you, it's my imaginary rocket)

If you followed the rules and watched the movie you know that Mr. Johnston has spent the majority of his adult life battling manic depression, and not just your garden variety run of the mill manic depression, but the "hoo haa that is horrifying" type that would make most of our brains melt. Not Daniel Johnston. Sure, he had some bad times, like when he crashed his father's plane and threw a lady out of a window. Okay, I'm making that seem less horrible than it actually is, but Mr. Johnston didn't know what he was doing, and if he did he thought he was doing the right thing. That's how terrible his illness is. He thought crashing a plane was okay. He thought the devil pushed an old lady out of a window while he watched. I've had my fair share of issues, but nothing compares to what Daniel Johnston has been through; which makes the music he has created that much more unbelievable.

I have a hard time getting through the day and I'm "normal." This blog is as close as I've ever gotten to doing something meaningfully creative, and it's not even very good. No one is going to call me a genius and I won't develop a following because of the wit and insight I put on display, nor will I ever be able to plum the depths of my soul and produce something timeless. I'm not there yet and I'm pretty sure I never will be, but Daniel Johnston, for the past 25 plus years has put out album after album of unforgettable, chilling and just really f_cking good music. His lyrics are a lesson in how to write songs. They are simple and easy but full of metaphor and underlying meanings that take a few listens to pick up on, but, if you go into it knowing the man is (for lack of a better education on my part) trapped inside his own head... constantly...without reprieve, then the impact of what he's created is just jaw dropping.

My girlfriend put it best, because, as usual she makes the smart comments and I make the snarky ones, anyway she said "it's incredible because he has no outside influences," and even though Mr. Johnston was a huge fan of The Beatles and idolized them on many levels, his music isn't a thinly veiled tribute or a blatant rip off of their material, but it's just as good. There, I said it, Daniel Johnston by himself is just as good (if not better than) the entiriety of The Beatles. Paul and John never wrote lyrics like Daniel Johnston writes lyrics, but they were much better guitar players; which is nice if you like that sort of thing. I can't really explain it, because like I said earlier I'm not a music nerd, so I apologize for any lack of coherrence, but I know awesome when I hear awesome and Daniel Johnston is awesome. I don't care if he is crazy and I don't care if he ever breaks into the mainstream and becomes a certifiable rock star, and to be honest I'd be happy if that day never came, because the world isn't ready for you, sir. It's just not. And it might never be, but I'm happy to have had a chance to learn about Daniel Johnston, to hear his music and to finally know what people mean when they say "suffering artist." Mr. Johnston has blurred the line between genius and insanity more than any individual I can think of and somehow the message always come across crystal clear. Mr. Johnston is more than a genius, he is a force of nature.

Sir, I congratulate you on being the second member of the "I like you..." hall of fame and would like to extend my heartfelt thanks for everything you've ever done for the world of music. As usual I will be sending you a free "I like you..." hall of fame inductee t-shirt, a bottle of Mountain Dew and some coupons for McDonalds.*



*there will be no t-shirt, coupons or Mountain Dew... actually, I might just send those out this time.