Corn Nuts These delectable nuggets of crunchy goodness are delicious, and surprisingly good for you (I mean, as compared to other crunchy fried snacky foods). And while you tend to see them fairly regularly in gas stations and freeway travel plazas, you don’t often hear people talking about them.
Drakan: The Ancients Gates When this game game out on PS2 shortly after launch, it was met with thunderous apathy. To this day I don’t understand why it didn’t become a hit. A free-roaming hack-n-slash RPG with really awesome dragon-riding elements? That is pure gold. I liked the game so much I had Greg Sewart write up a retrospective for OPM. I sure hope you got paid, Greg.
New Model Army This vastly underrated British folk-rock band has been making challenging, provocative, catchy, sometimes heart-wrenching music since 1979, and almost no one in this country has ever heard of them. It’s very, very hard to find lyrics with as much power and artistry anywhere else.
Turning Off the TV This one may seem like cheating, but I really do relish hitting the off switch on the electronic overseer. Don’t get me wrong, I like me a good program every now and then. (And of course, gaming doesn’t count.) But I probably watch less than three hours of TV a week…I just enjoy gaming or reading or feeding my brain with internet junk food so much more. There are definitely times when I find myself sinking into that TV stupor, just watching it because it’s on and I’m not even that interested in what’s showing. At those times, summoning the energy to turn it off and go do something else is particularly rewarding.
Cemeteries Even though I’ve had to see them a lot more than I’d like over the past few years, I still do find something so relaxing and soothing about being in a cemetery — particularly an old cemetery, with its gorgeous headstones, monuments, and mausoleums. Oh, that reminds me:
Harold and Maude My favorite movie ever. It’s about love, and death, and wealth, and freedom, and most importantly: happiness. It’s not a movie for everyone, but if quirky black romantic comedies strike your fancy, I have never seen a better one. There are few movies like it, but if you liked Garden State, for example, I have a feeling you’ll like Harold and Maude.
Your turn. Let me know five (or six, or ten!) things you like that no one else does, in comments or your own blog. (Drop a link in comments if you do it on your own blog, k?)
Here’s my list:
1 The smell of skunk. I know that makes me sound like a sick weirdo, but I actually like the smell of skunk. Not that I’m saying I would ever want to be sprayed by a skunk, but whenever I’m driving somewhere in the summertime and I catch a whiff, it’s pretty spectacular.
2 Robocop. Simultaneously championed and derided by the mainstream media, this is one of my all-time favorite films. On the surface it could easily be dismissed as a overly violent action film with a stupid title, but it’s really so much more than that. In reality, Robocop is the story of a man struggling to come to terms with the loss of himself and his family. Crucifixion; resurrection; and the confrontation of his creator makes this a modern day Frankenstien as told through the lens of a scathing social satire on the Regan 80’s and crass consumerism. HIGHLY AWESOME.
3. Adam Ant. Here’s a guy who was WAY ahead of his time. 2 drummers; horn section; leather pants; puffy shirts and songs about Pirates (Jolly Roger) Bondage (Beat My Guest) and getting naked (Strip). Anyone who raps while wearing knight’s armor must know something the rest of us don’t. Do yourself a favor and get Kings of the Wild Frontier and Prince Charming.
4. Fox News. Ok, that was a joke. Not only do I hate Fox News, but my dog hates it too. Bill O’Reilley is a pig.
5. Push-ups. Such a simple and effective exercise, push-ups strengthen your pecs, shoulders, triceps and core. Not many people take the time to bust out a few sets of push-ups and that’s a real shame. With a myriad of different hand and foot positions, it’s easy to keep it interesting. The best part- no equipment needed!
6. Mini Discs. Call me bitter, but I’m still pissed the Mini Disc went the way of the Dodo Bird. Compact and encased in protective plastic, the Mini Disc was a better technology than the CD. You had the ability to re-write as many times as you liked and edit track / album names. They didn’t skip nearly as much as CD’s and they never scratched. Yes I had a portable MD player. Yes I had a console MD player, and YES, I even had an in-dash car stereo MD player. I went all-in with my chips on that horrific Sony blunder. Thanks a lot.