happy 23rd birthday, Elijah Wood.
(transcribed from Spin magazine; format edited slightly.)
Sad Libs
Are emo bands interchangeable? We created a Mad Libs-inspired word game to find out.
by Andrew Beaujon
They have tattoos. They come from nice families. They are very open with their feelings. They dress the same. They are hard to tell apart. They are emo boys, and if you've interviewed one emo band, you've interviewed them all. So from now on, Spin is going to use the following template when profiling these groups, so we can spend more time wishing we'd finished grad school.
01. ___________________________ name of midsize city, ideally home to a state university.
02. ___________________________ type of musician (plural).
03. ___________________________ waspy last name.
04. ___________________________ same waspy last name.
05. ___________________________ season.
06. ___________________________ verb.
07. ___________________________ type of cloth.
08. ___________________________ possibly Hispanic last name.
09. ___________________________ Central Asian nation.
10. ___________________________ same waspy last name.
11. ___________________________ exotic coffee drink.
12. ___________________________ same possibly Hispanic last name.
13. ___________________________ formerly Communist country.
14. ___________________________ no-chance 2004 presidential candidate.
15. ___________________________ same season+verb+type of cloth.
16. ___________________________ same midsize city.
17. ___________________________ weather phenomena.
18. ___________________________ dramatic verb.
19. ___________________________ weapon.
20. ___________________________ expression of dismay.
21. ___________________________ desperate major-record label.
22. ___________________________ gerund (that's a verb ending in -ing, genius).
23. ___________________________ emotion felt by people other than you.
24. ___________________________ same waspy last name.
25. ___________________________ useless household item (eg., ornamental cabbage).
26. ___________________________ unfashionable people.
27. ___________________________ same desperate major-record label.
28. ___________________________ same possibly Hispanic last name.
29. ___________________________ facial feature (singular).
30. ___________________________ power tool.
31. ___________________________ venerable Washington DC punk band.
32. ___________________________ happy adjective.
33. ___________________________ same waspy last name.
34. ___________________________ Weezer.
35. ___________________________ 70's soft-rock icon.
36. ___________________________ Italian last name.
37. ___________________________ type of sexuality.
38. ___________________________ adverb.
The only thing missing from the coffee-shop wall here in _____________ (01) is a sign that reads: INTERESTED _____________ (02)
SHOULD CONTACT LIAM ________________ (03). A spot just opened up in _________________ (04)'s band, ______________ (05) ___________ (06) in ______________ (07). Previous sideman, Roger _____________ (08), moved to ______________ (09) to build houses for the poor after a reporter from another music magazine asked if his band was "emoo" -- the term du jour for emo groups from dairy-producing states. "That's okay," says ______________ (10), languidly slurping a(n) ______________ (11). "We thought ______________ (12) was going to defect to ______________ (13) after ______________ (14) pulled out of the Iowa caucus. I don't know what took him so long.
Treason has been a feature of ______________ (15)'s music since they formed in Florida's' dairy belt district eight months ago. During last night's show at the ______________ (16) Dome, fans sang lines like "The ______________ (17) of your heart ______________ (18) my wrist like a ______________ (19) at dawn / No, wait, that's a paper cut / ______________ (20)." It's this kind of devotion that inspired ______________ (21) to sign the group after their second record, ______________ (22) ______________ (23). That probably won't change things much for ______________ (24), whose grandfather became wealthy after he invented the ______________ (25) in 1972 and who already travels in his own tour bus with the windows tinted black so he can't see ______________ (26). But things will change for ______________ (27), since ______________ (28)'s solo album, which features the single "Her ______________ (29) Is Like a(n) ______________ (30)" (think ______________ (31), minus the sermonizing but with totally ______________ (32) influences), is already selling 80 zillion copies per week on the Internet. Yay!
Still, ______________ (33) realizes it may be a while before mainstream American accepts him as a rock god. "I love ______________ (34)," he says, "but I love ______________ (35) just as much. Plus, I look stupid in chaps." "I disagree," says guitarist Stuart ______________ (36), sipping his latte. "Liam is a one-man ______________ (37) bar!" We all laugh ______________ (38).
Sad Libs
Are emo bands interchangeable? We created a Mad Libs-inspired word game to find out.
by Andrew Beaujon
They have tattoos. They come from nice families. They are very open with their feelings. They dress the same. They are hard to tell apart. They are emo boys, and if you've interviewed one emo band, you've interviewed them all. So from now on, Spin is going to use the following template when profiling these groups, so we can spend more time wishing we'd finished grad school.
01. ___________________________ name of midsize city, ideally home to a state university.
02. ___________________________ type of musician (plural).
03. ___________________________ waspy last name.
04. ___________________________ same waspy last name.
05. ___________________________ season.
06. ___________________________ verb.
07. ___________________________ type of cloth.
08. ___________________________ possibly Hispanic last name.
09. ___________________________ Central Asian nation.
10. ___________________________ same waspy last name.
11. ___________________________ exotic coffee drink.
12. ___________________________ same possibly Hispanic last name.
13. ___________________________ formerly Communist country.
14. ___________________________ no-chance 2004 presidential candidate.
15. ___________________________ same season+verb+type of cloth.
16. ___________________________ same midsize city.
17. ___________________________ weather phenomena.
18. ___________________________ dramatic verb.
19. ___________________________ weapon.
20. ___________________________ expression of dismay.
21. ___________________________ desperate major-record label.
22. ___________________________ gerund (that's a verb ending in -ing, genius).
23. ___________________________ emotion felt by people other than you.
24. ___________________________ same waspy last name.
25. ___________________________ useless household item (eg., ornamental cabbage).
26. ___________________________ unfashionable people.
27. ___________________________ same desperate major-record label.
28. ___________________________ same possibly Hispanic last name.
29. ___________________________ facial feature (singular).
30. ___________________________ power tool.
31. ___________________________ venerable Washington DC punk band.
32. ___________________________ happy adjective.
33. ___________________________ same waspy last name.
34. ___________________________ Weezer.
35. ___________________________ 70's soft-rock icon.
36. ___________________________ Italian last name.
37. ___________________________ type of sexuality.
38. ___________________________ adverb.
The only thing missing from the coffee-shop wall here in _____________ (01) is a sign that reads: INTERESTED _____________ (02)
SHOULD CONTACT LIAM ________________ (03). A spot just opened up in _________________ (04)'s band, ______________ (05) ___________ (06) in ______________ (07). Previous sideman, Roger _____________ (08), moved to ______________ (09) to build houses for the poor after a reporter from another music magazine asked if his band was "emoo" -- the term du jour for emo groups from dairy-producing states. "That's okay," says ______________ (10), languidly slurping a(n) ______________ (11). "We thought ______________ (12) was going to defect to ______________ (13) after ______________ (14) pulled out of the Iowa caucus. I don't know what took him so long.
Treason has been a feature of ______________ (15)'s music since they formed in Florida's' dairy belt district eight months ago. During last night's show at the ______________ (16) Dome, fans sang lines like "The ______________ (17) of your heart ______________ (18) my wrist like a ______________ (19) at dawn / No, wait, that's a paper cut / ______________ (20)." It's this kind of devotion that inspired ______________ (21) to sign the group after their second record, ______________ (22) ______________ (23). That probably won't change things much for ______________ (24), whose grandfather became wealthy after he invented the ______________ (25) in 1972 and who already travels in his own tour bus with the windows tinted black so he can't see ______________ (26). But things will change for ______________ (27), since ______________ (28)'s solo album, which features the single "Her ______________ (29) Is Like a(n) ______________ (30)" (think ______________ (31), minus the sermonizing but with totally ______________ (32) influences), is already selling 80 zillion copies per week on the Internet. Yay!
Still, ______________ (33) realizes it may be a while before mainstream American accepts him as a rock god. "I love ______________ (34)," he says, "but I love ______________ (35) just as much. Plus, I look stupid in chaps." "I disagree," says guitarist Stuart ______________ (36), sipping his latte. "Liam is a one-man ______________ (37) bar!" We all laugh ______________ (38).