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Grote’s Notes

 

T'was the day before Christmas and all across the site, not an iconoFAN was stirring to pick a fight. Then Dan Grote checked in with a list to share. His editor began grinning. Knowing readers would soon be there. So I leave you now with something grand to pursue. For Christmas we give you Dan’s year in review. – ed 12/24/03

As always the views expressed by the writer do not neccessarily reflect the views of antiMUSIC or the iconoclast entertainment group

Top Ten Things That Made 2003 Awesome
By Dan Grote

Last year, I indulged my sense of celebrity culture by penning the 2002 Overexposurehypefestorama. I made a lot of jokes about Ben Affleck and the Olsen Twins and the word “the.” I was going to do one again this year, but then I realized I’d be making the same jokes again. Ben Affleck is still all over the pages of US Weekly, the Olsen Twins made the cover of Rolling Stone as “America’s Favorite Fantasy,” and there’s been a whole new s-load of “the” bands: The Shins, The Thrills, The Kills, The Stills, etc. So instead of doing a countdown of things that pissed me off this year or made me more cynical, I thought I’d change things up a bit and construct a countdown of things that made me happy. So, herewith, a big bag of smiles (wow, that sounded pretty gay, didn’t it?).

1. Andre 3000 of Outkast, “Hey Ya!”: If this song does not make you want to stop whatever it is you’re doing and just start dancing, then you have no soul, and I say this in full awareness of my caucasianosity. Outkast’s better half created an incredible album full of funk, lounge, rock and booty jams with “The Love Below,” but “Hey Ya!” a song about a relationship gone sour, is the topper. My girlfriend and I were having a huge fight one morning, and this song came on the radio. We both immediately stopped arguing, smiled and started dancing in our seats. No lie. Has it been overplayed? Damn yes! Do I care? Damn no!

2. Jack Black in “School of Rock”: America learned this year what most nerds have known for years: Jack Black is a freakin’ genius! Full of talented children but never sappy, Black kicks his stoner buddy attitude, rock worship and flexible eyebrows into overdrive in the leading role of a lifetime for Black, who up until now has been best served in supporting roles such as Barry in High Fidelity and Lance in Orange County. Rock’s best love letter movies have always been comedies, be they School of Rock or Wayne’s World 2, no matter what critics said about Almost Famous. Because rock is fun, and teaching others to worship rock is the greatest gift you can give your children.

3. “Family Guy” on DVD: The best show nobody watched on Fox is now a phenomenon, thanks to constant replay on the Cartoon Network and the two DVDs released this year capturing the series’ entire run. Thanks to a new swelling of fan support, there are even rumors that series creator Seth MacFarlane is being asked to create new episodes. If they can capture the same outrageousness of the original episodes, then, to quote horndog neighbor Glen Quagmire, “allll right!”

4. Music that recreates and improves upon older music: Disco metal. Eighties metal. Phil Spector girl groups. New Wave. Most of my favorite bands this year, Electric Six, the Darkness, Junior Senior and Hot Hot Heat, won my ear while playing on and with old sounds. They were fun, had a hot beat, and put out solid discs full of retro yet original thought in a year in which the safe bet was to sound like or be Nickelback or be in an emo band (I’ll save my anti-DIY rock rant for a later date). Most importantly, these bands made music that was fun! And in an age of indefinite wartime, neoconservative control, and jobless economic recovery, what’s better to listen to than fun music?

5. Will Ferrell in anything: 2003’s other comic genius, Ferrell helped a comedy-starved nation heal after a summer in which we learned that Jim Carrey had become stale. After depressing us all by leaving Saturday Night Live, thus forcing America to watch Jimmy Fallon continually screw up every sketch he was in, Ferrell resurfaced as Frank the Tank in Old School, proving he was ready for the big time despite 1998’s godawful A Night at the Roxbury. Then, this past November, he pulls a double wammy with a leading role in Elf, another feel-good Christmas movie that doesn’t play the sappy angle. He’s my favorite Saturday Night Live cast member ever, though Bill Murray comes a close second.

6. Aqua Teen Hunger Force: On the air on Cartoon Network since 2000, ATHF finally came to DVD this past month to the delight of fanboys everywhere. Now my fellow geeks and I can watch Meatwad turn into a hotdog or an igloo whenever we want, not to mention revel in the mayhem of the Mooninites, a pair of two-dimensional, smoking, drinking, bird-flipping, laser-shooting aliens.

7. Jack White finally picks up a bass guitar: THANK GOD! One of my former roommates was a big White Stripes fan. I hated his taste in music. Not the individual bands per se; I have no beef with the Doors or Tool or the Strokes. But I hated how he would start buying bands’ entire catalogs before ever hearing a single song. When he got into Bright Eyes I wanted to punch him in the face. And while I thought “Fell in Love with a Girl,” was a decent song, I hated the pretentious airs Jack White put on, coupled with the fact that my roommate would force me to listen to “The Big 3 Killed My Baby,” from their first album, till my ears bled. Then I heard “Seven Nation Army” this year. It was good. Really fucking good. Jack White plays bass with a mud stomp straight out of metal. Audioslave covered “Army” at Lollapalooza, and it was one of the set’s best songs. “The Hardest Button to Button” was also incredible. I just heard the Stripes’ cover of “I Just Don’t Know What to Do with Myself.” I didn’t like that as much. No bass. Note to Jack: Never, ever put down the bass!

8. The O.C.: Not a word. Not one f-ing word. This show is good. It’s the best primetime soap on TV in years. I cursed having night classes every Wednesday. There is no better character on TV right now than Adam Brody’s nerdy lothario Seth Cohen. Maybe it’s his comic book fetish. Maybe it’s his witty lines. But the show is good, and if you make fun of me, you just haven’t watched it yet.

9. Grant Morrison’s “New X-Men”: Again, I don’t know what the comic book-loving contingency is on this site, but if you’re down with the X as I am, the book hasn’t been this good in years. Morrison has taken the X-Universe and turned it on its ear, especially his recent handling of Magneto and the Phoenix Force. That’s all I’ll say on that.

10. The portable MP3 player I’m getting for Christmas tomorrow: ‘Nuff said.
 

Dan Grote is a regular writer for antiMUSIC and an all around cool guy. 

Your turn. 


They call you 
What do you think ?:

Fan Speak:

Posted by Arcanus:
You are a total douche


Posted by Liz:
I think that too many people don't like The O.C. because they haven't seen it. And, how can someone say they don't like the show with out seeing it? Whatever. Anyways its a really good show and I love it too.


Posted by They call me Tim!:
Monty python fan here, but that is irrelevant, i love this list because it is almost what i would put. You go Grote! Peace


Posted by kenny@#$%^&:
OC is the best show..!!o yeah and hey yeah man thats a good songg...h-e-y-y-y- -y-e-a-h-h-h-h..


Posted by muisc:
Yeah Family Guy! That is the greatest show in the world...never ever gets old! Hey Yeah was one of my favorite songs of the year. And JB and Will Farell are my favorite actors


Posted by Mr. huh? saying, "My Generation Sucks!":
Well, I went and got the Aqua Teen Hunger Force DVD after only seeing a few recent episodes and I was bawling with laughter. "Look at me. I'm a big, giant spider wearing a disposable diaper, I'm insane man!"


Posted by Don:
By sheer accident, I fell upon your 10 Awesome Things (note the vulgarization of "awesome") of 2003. The only one of the ten I recognized was the last, the MP3 player, which presumably will play music other than the junk paraded here. Dan Grote, "an all around cool guy," get back at your parents another way!


Posted by theman they call i am:
well hobo, you wouldnt have enough beer in the world for me, but as a fellow space ghost coast to coast fan, i applaud you. that dvd rocks. as for the best of the year in comics. morrison on new x-men is cool, but what about azzarello doing batman? so good, soo so so good. also neil gaiman with endless nights and 1602, *orgasm*.


Posted by FakePlasticWorld:
Adult Swim rocks.... one of my favorite albums in 2003 was 13th Step by A Perfect Cicle.


Posted by The Evil Mr Grog:
Cool list, but what about the Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions, those movies were great wirth the Visual Effects alone, forget Keanu Reeve's Roboticful acting.


Posted by Wes Rains:
That was a sh!t list man


Posted by GREENMUSE:
i admit to liking that outkast ssong immensely,its like the andy griffith show,i shouldnt like it,but i do.i heard about half the junior senior ablum and loved it as well.


Posted by Ah-nooj:
Totally agree with you about Jack Black....... he's now my fav. actor. (But I did like Almost Famous).. HOWEVER , I cant stand Andre 3000 or the O.C. Maybe its just me :)


Posted by AIC:
Puddle of Mudd 4 life


Posted by tim:
New guy here. Hi. Love this list, Hey Ya, Jacks black and white, X-men, OC (I agree, the best soap opera, which may be like being the best surfer in Kansas, but still something!) all aces. Looking forward to future writings/readings. Happy New Year tim


Posted by The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot:
The OC. Simply a good show. Adam Brody and Peter Gallhager's eyebrows make it worth watching. Seth Cohen is the man. Him and his dad are hilarious on the show, and the drama isn't cheesy. And Will Ferrell will forever be god.


Posted by TK138:
There's not much on this list that I could call a GUILTY pleasure. Will Ferrell and Jack Black rock separately, but when they're together it's TNT.


Posted by Hobo:
All fans of Aqua Teen, Space Ghost and Brak - enter my dominion for beers on the house.


Posted by Razjml:
Few things I want to comment on: although Aqua Teen Hunger Force on DVD is awesome, what Cartoon Network really needs to put out are the complete seasons of Sealab 2021 on DVD. That would truly rock. The Shins put out unquestionably one of the best albums of the year, Chutes Too Narrow, and they've been around since 2001 anyways. Btw, THE Darkness seems to have a "the" in front of them too :). Oh, and Bright Eyes, despite being a little uneven sometimes, consistently puts out great, literate music.


Posted by cheese :
i got a mp3 player too its like heaven


Posted by Eagles:
Much of what's on this list is really a guilty pleasure. Except Will Ferrell, there's no guilt in loving him.


Posted by Mr. huh? saying, "My Generation Sucks!":
What about Space Ghost: Coast to Coast finally coming out on DVD, the conclusion to the Lord of the Rings trilogy with Return of the King, and the other comedic genius of Bad Santa?


Posted by Aryias:
Good call on almost everything! The only problem is that Jack White didn't actually pick up a bass... he just used an octave pedal to make his guitar SOUND like a bass. Tricky little devil, ain't he? Fooled me for a while, too, until I was reading GuitarWorld and the record was thusly set straight. But yeah, the Aqua Teens kick ass.


Posted by Hobo:
Well, Grote rocks. Anyone who likes ATHF is an absolute legend. Come down to AUS to I can buy you a beer.


Posted by VampireRyan:
That Outkast song is a guilty pleasure of mine.


Posted by Emily.:
I enjoy "Seven Nation Army" as well.


Posted by Joe Mama:
Well then... so be it... I have no soul... but I love dancing to Crispin Glover. I don't like Outkast or that Hey Ya track but whatever man.





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