Zep

I started writing this three days ago, and then I got sidetracked.

As a kid, I was hassled a lot for admiring Led Zeppelin. Partly, it had to do with the fact that I once wore a Led Zeppelin t-shirt on school picture day. Somehow, I completely forgot about the pictures. If you have a class picture with a kid in a Zeppelin t-shirt, that might be me. My brother, almost ten years older than me, had some influence on my music choices. And so, I was well-armed to deal with the disco invasion. When my other brother, just 1 & a half years older, put on Gloria Gaynor or the Bee Gees and others, I turned up Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath.

Today, I can say that I still enjoy Led Zeppelin, more so than other bands of that era. I think the music has aged well. The Rolling Stones are boring, save for a few songs scattered here and there. I never liked The Who very much. I like LZ for several reasons. It has fantastic rhythm and some really excellent drumming. It's music to have sex to, seriously.

A few friends wonder how I can reconcile liking Led Zeppelin with the more avant-garde selections in my collection, like Steve Reich and Philip Glass. For some reason, I have appreciated this band even as I passed through various musical phases, like punk, New Wave, the Neo ska revival, post-rock, minimalism, etc.

But, I have to add that Stairway to Heaven sucks. Sorry to those who like this song, but it really awful. Oh, and I hate heavy metal, and I don't think it's fair to blame Zeppelin for that blight, as some people do.

The Office

The Office is coming to the USA in the form of a re-make. It is clear that the US networks have run out of ideas. I don't really mind the fact that it is being re-made; it just bugs me that many people will never see the original, which, no doubt, will be far superior.

Alias

Speaking of being out of ideas, I wonder how many people noticed that they borrowed heavily from a Kurt Vonnegut novel in the last episode?

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