You know who sucks? Shakespeare. Shakespeare sucks.
Most major plot points are based on superstition and misunderstanding. The whole plan hinges on a message which is lost in transit, for no apparent reason. Ghosts haunt and people think trees are marching. A close friend or family member goes unrecognized by virtue of wearing a silly hat. A seed of distrust is planted by a malicious rumor and later, despite the protests of trusted advisers, blossoms into KILLING ALL OF YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS.
Insanity is a common character state: Characters are driven to helpless, babbling insanity by the depths of their emotions. Cuz that gives insight into the truth of the human condition. You know what else gives insight into the truth of the human condition? The ex-prostitute is pregnant with the vicar's half-alien child even though she's currently remarried to the body builder who was the vicar's brother's gay lover!
Shakespeare's so-called comic relief characters are shabby, offensive, one-dimensional stereotypes.
Plus the writing sucks.
It's like the worst episode of Angel ever, worse than when Cordelia comes back from heaven and makes everything right again but then it turns out a full season later that the whole time she was evil. Cuz...what?
Oh and you can take your historical exegesis and suck it. By any contemporary measure, Shakespeare still rots. Any Earth-visiting alien would agree.
It's funny, The Beatles are kind of like Shakespeare. Neither of them really know how to spell, not even their own name. Both made revolutionary contributions to their respective art forms, but are now long gone, and their successors have evolved far beyond them.
On second thought, nah. The Beatles don't suck. The Beatles rock. You can't evolve the revolver! Plus the Holy See ranks it #1. The Beatles win.
Oh, right. Was gonna write the real review in the comments. I'm still not gonna bother to write about individual songs, but that's just because I'm lazy.
ReplyDeleteI really, really like this New Pornographers album. One of my favorites these last couple years, which for me is notable because I haven't been listening to much music these last few years (just postrock on the headphones while working).
So yeah, I really like Challengers. And yet, I don't know. Is it one of the best of all time? Especially when compared to one so universally acclaimed as Revolver? I don't know.
We've mentioned a couple times how we nominated according to what we liked back in the day but we're judging according to what we like now. And I think that's fine. But I like the idea that there is a bias, both in nomination and in selection, towards something that is universal, historical, and influential -- "popular" in the deeper sense.
It's possible that you can't make one of the greatest albums of all time until you're dead.
Postmortem recording: the final frontier.
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