Friday Jukebox: Music Is Better Than Politics

That is “Timebomb” by the Old 97’s, a fantastic song that has been included on several soundtracks, including the relatively good one that accompanied the entirely forgettable Clay Pigeons. Without getting too heteronormative, I’d say that it’s an absolutely balls-to-the-wall song.

I’m relatively certain that I’ve always thought this, from the first time I heard it 14 years ago to the last time I listened to it, which was just now, as I was writing this. I’m not entirely sure but I think it’s the guy going nuts on the drums. There’s got to be something particularly cathartic about picking up a set of drumsticks and beating the absolute shit out of a snare drum. Unfortunately, I can’t keep the beat for more than fifteen seconds even when I’m by myself drumming on a steering wheel, so I fear I’ll never be able to unwind in this way.

And I need to unwind. This godforsaken, never-ending election that we’re all enduring can’t be over soon enough. Every day brings a new moment at which I think to myself, “This nightmare can’t get any worse,” and then John Sununu alleges that Colin Powell supports Barack Obama because they’re both black and I think, “This isn’t worth it.” Then I realize that what Sununu did, as utterly condescending as it was, probably doesn’t even crack the top hundred most awful things about this election. Then I slam my head off my desk for twenty-to-thirty hours attempting to achieve meditation or hemorrhage.

So back to the music. What do you listen to when you’re trying not to think about something?