It’s an exciting time, guys. Something For The Rest Of Us has already been released in some countries, and the US release is on Tuesday. Tuesday! That’s a day that’s almost here! Unreal, man.
I’ve decided that I will not post a review until one week after the album drops. Obviously, we will all have some first impressions, and it’s natural for us to want to share those impressions immediately. However, I want to wait a bit. I want to listen to the album a bunch of times, and I want to feel it for myself, and I encourage everyone else to do the same. I don’t think that kneejerk reactions after hearing the album once or twice are conducive to thoughtful discussions. I think it’s good to take some time with the album, think about the individual songs, then think about it as an entire piece of art, and then also consider where it fits in with the entire GGD catalog. It will still be difficult to have enough perspective to do that one week later, but it will be impossible to do that the same day you’re hearing the album for the first time. I don’t want to put any words out into the universe until I’m sure that I want to stand behind them. I don’t want to get caught backtracking, or get stuck defending statements I no longer agree with after a few more listens. I also think it’s important to form your own opinion before you read everyone else’s. So once you have the album, get into bed with it for a while and figure out what turns you on. Then, come back over here, and we can have a thoughtful discussion about it.
Today marks four years since I started this blog. I started out as an annoying little outsider, screaming my opinions at no one in particular. As the blog gained popularity, I tempered my explosiveness. I’ve mellowed over the years, and I’ve tried to choose my words more thoughtfully. This is a sampling of some of my favorite things I’ve written over these past four years.
genesis [8/28/06]: My first ever blog post. Why there is no indie cred in this fandom, and why Robby fans are not automatically more authentic than John fans. Also, why this site only exists because of Dave Genn, guitarist for Canadian band 54-40, who recently opened for GGD in Toronto, bringing everything full motherfucking circle in my life.
the identity of john’s girlfriend [2/10/07]: People want me to post pictures of Melina. To be contrary, I post a picture of John kissing Robby and call it “the identity of John’s girlfriend.” It remains the most viewed page I have ever posted, and it still appears on the front page of google when searching for john rzeznik girlfriend.
without you here : an indepth analysis [3/20/07]: The premiere installment of “purposely ridiculous lyric interpretations.” Did you know that WYH is about pinhole cameras, Copernicus, and Chronic Orthostatic Intolerance? Look closer.
hey hey, you you, you’re hotter than your boyfriend [7/02/07]: The birth of Team Melina.
ez [7/9/07]: Heyyyy, remember myspace? In which Robby tells me to “take it ez.”
holmdel + a bit of an overshare [7/21/07]: The Holmdel show makes me think about why I’m a fan in the first place and leads to my first-ever overshare.
nmt - iris end sessions [9/04/07]: The first ever New Music Tuesday!
ngab top 4 and top 3 [12/14/07]: Heyyyy, remember when John was a judge on a reality show?
vegas + a bit of an overshare [2/17/08]: In which I walk past Mike in a casino and contemplate what it really means to be a fan. Also, a NYE review.
a bit of everything, overshares for everyone! [3/09/08]: Why I love LLI, why I’m really a fan, and how the band saved my life. Probably the most personal thing I’ve ever written.
excuses, excuses [5/28/08]: I can’t focus on anything because I love music too much. Writing this brought some interesting people into my life, so I’m fond of it for personal reasons.
first glance - real [6/25/08]: “I love this band. I love love love love them. I watch fans come and go, I listen to the complaints, and I just sit here, loving them as hard as I can, having faith in them, being confident that they will be exactly what they are supposed to be.”
ahhhhhhhh syracuse and syracuse pt 2 + salamanca [8/23/08; 8/24/08]: In which I meet and greet the band and make an idiot of myself in front of John Rzeznik and have a religious experience during “Iris.”
podcast #1 - gutterflower month [9/10/08]: My one and only podcast. Heyyyy, remember Gutterflower month?
amungus ep [11/30/08]: Heyyy, remember when I reviewed the amungus ep and made an ignorant comment about some song that I didn’t realize was a mash-up and then Brian called me out for it in an interview? That was embarrassing, huh?
open letter: staring at the sun [12/05/08]: Happy birthday, John Rzeznik.
sundancing, day 1 [1/19/09]: Nicole and I fangirl over John like a couple idiots, so OF COURSE this is the post that gets sourced at ohnotheydidnt.
are you fucking it up for the rest of us? [2/07/09]: Crazy fans, stop being so fucking crazy.
blah blah some idiotic title about being struck by GOOpid’s arrow blah blah etc [2/14/09]: I love the Daily Goo, Forty Marshas, and Melina. Also, John Rzeznik teaches me how to swear.
serious chemistry [2/25/09]: How to remember the chemical symbol of Antimony, if you are an asshole.
when news breaks, i fix it [3/13/09]: Through a strange series of events, I become the first GGD site to announce that Tim Palmer is producing the new record. Hysteria ensues.
guest blogger: Nicole [3/22/09]: Nicole explains why Tim Palmer is awesome, and I make a “citizens against Johnnyangel” animated GIF to undermine her entire point.
tweet [3/30/09]: John Rzeznik learns how to tweet and changes my life forever. This is the first appearance of the tweeting-by-typewriter image.
anniversaries [8/28/09]: John writes lyrics, and I try to pace my excitement so I don’t burn out before the album arrives. Good plan, since I wrote this exactly one year ago.
i predict a riot and chinetics [9/23/09]: John announces that he wants to make babies, and I use science for evil.
counterpoint, 2 [1/06/10]: I finally have enough distance to work my way through “Iris.”
intermission [4/30/10]: Let’s have some fun this beat is sick, I wanna take a ride on your Dizzy Stick.
perfect words [5/13/10]: In which I love “Home.”
nothing for any of us [6/07/10]: WBR can suck it.
still your song, part 2 [7/18/10]: In which I love “Still Your Song.”
I love this band an overwhelming, life-changing amount, and I am just incredibly honored that I’ve had the opportunity to share my thoughts and experiences with all of you. To everyone who reads this blog, thank you for listening.