It’s a Citizen Dick World, Baby!
Welcome to the newest addition to our fine Fanboy family, Citizen Dick. I’m sure most of you know the moniker but if you don’t, Citizen Dick was the name of Matt Dillon’s fictional band in the movie
I guess I’m now old enough to have romanticized the past. I don’t remember being happy in the ’90s yet my feeble mind has created all sorts of happy memories for it, most of which never actually happened- but enough about my psychological deformities. Even if the ’90s weren’t high times in the life of Josh Hathaway, the music was great. Well, a lot of it was. Maybe some of it was. I liked it. Damn. I’m doing it again. Getting back to the point of it all, a lot of the music I still love today was made in the ’90s and I want to write about it because I want to remember it. I hope my reflections spring forth good memories for you if you’re old enough to have lived through the decade. If not, I hope you find yourself curious enough to check out some of these songs, albums, and artists for the first time.
I created a playlist on my iPod a long time ago that randomly shuffles songs I like from the ’90s. Here’s a quick run through seven of the songs my iPod queued up while I created this new series.
“Sweet Surrender” by Sarah McLachlan from Surfacing
: Ahh, yes, my angry lesbian period. I actually went to Lilith Fair. On purpose. My choice. There’s a good story about that, and I’ll tell it another time. Anyway, after getting my ass dumped in Colorado I went through a period where I got deep into a lot of the ’90s female alternative artists and singer/songwriters. There was a really good crop of them, and Sarah Mc was one of the best.“Water Rush” by The Samples from Autopilot: Boulder Beat! Another song from my days in Colorado. One of my friends who actually loves The Samples hates this record. I’ve always loved it.
“The World I Know” by Collective Soul from 7 Year Itch: The fact that I’m listening to this song from their greatest hits album rather than the individual album should tell you where I rank Collective Soul. They were a pleasant band with some good radio singles, this being one of them.
“Brick” by Ben Folds Five from Whatever and Ever Amen: Here’s a happy little tune. It seems remarkably un-Ben Folds like to me, but this is the song that introduced me to them.
“Big Me” by Foo Fighters from Foo Fighters: I declared this the “feel good album of the year” when I bought it on its release day. I think I was the first person in Huntsville to buy this record, and I still adore it! This is a great slice of alternative pop. Big hook, “Big Me.”
“Interstate Love Song” by Stone Temple Pilots from Purple: I hated STP for a long time, preferring to call them Clone Temple Pilots. I still hate “Plush” and will always think it was better when it was “Kashmir.” This song started to turn my opinion of the band around and I now really like a big chunk of their catalog.
“Even in His Youth” by Nirvana from Smells Like Teen Spirit: This is quintessential Kurt Cobain, abrasive and self-loathing.. It’s a good song, but probably wouldn’t have fit well on Nevermind.
There you have it, boys and girls. Seven songs from the ’90s, your introduction to Citizen Dick. Look for more entries in this new Fanboy series throughout the week and on into the vast, unknown future.
Filed under: Tags: Citzen Dick, Foo Fighters, Nirvana, Sarah McLachlan
Love the title! But you and I seem to have had very different 90s. the only song I really like off this list is “Brick.” Try as I might I have never been able to get into Sarah M. She has a pretty voice, but her songs alway leave me ‘meh.’
I’m sure I loved that Nirvana number once, but the title is leaving me blank. And the Fighters of Foo never did anything for me, except give me a laugh at their videos.
I’ll give you a pass on Pearl Jam jr, I mean STP as I remember tapping my toes to that song. The rest conjure no memories whatsoever.
Thank you, Sir Brewster. I’m pretty happy with it myself. I might have to rent the movie now.
As for the list, do understand it was randomly selected by my iPod. I like the songs on it, but don’t consider them representative of anything other than songs I like from the ’90s.
Sarah Mc has an amazing voice and starting with Fumbling Towards Ecstacy started to consistently write songs to match. I’d start with that one if ever you were to consider giving her a second chance.
The Nirvana tune is a b-side, but I’m sure you heard it back in the day. Clone Temple Pilots can be frustratingly derivative but they occasionally hit with something. “Interstate is one of those times.” Foo Fighters are in that tier of “very good” but don’t make the hall of great for me. I like them, I don’t love them. “Big Me” was a great video.
i’ve never seen the movie, hate Stone Temple Pilots, but love angry lesbians.
oh, and i like long walks on the beach too.
STP is so easy to hate. You didn’t like anything from them though?
yea, there’s one song…but i don’t even know the title…lemme amazon it..
it’s either Plush or Sex-Type Thing. i know the opening riff but of course amazon starts from the freaking middle of a verse.
da,da,da,DA,Da,Daaaaa……DA,Da…Daaaaa
got that?
Oh, that one. Totally.
i do remember people calling them “clone temple pilots”. they went right on the shelf next to (please, don’t hate me for this) Alice In Chains…bands that just didn’t do anything for me.
That was not necessary, Sir Saleski, very bad form. I’m afraid huge amounts of hatred must be astral projected in your general direction.
hey, what can i say? back then there was a whole lotta gravely-pissed-off-edness going on in the music scene and didn’t resonate with me at all.
It helped to be a gravely pissed off teenager at the time.
I’m going to have to jump in and hate Saleski too. I still listen to AIC’s Unplugged with disgusting regularity.
I listened to “So Close” from AiC’s S/T about 9x yesterday.
Maybe I’m a little aged, but the 90’s was probably the worst music decade since the late 70’s (w/disco making its way). I’m not that old I’m just a music lover who knows when shit is shit.. Like STP and Nirvanna. It was perfect for the misguided teenager who felt mum and dad wanted to kill them and the “know one likes me, im alone” syndrome. It was the rock-n-roll on its last breath, with rap and boy bands taking front and center. With the list from above as your representation of the rock-n-roll, you know why rock was on its last breath. As much as I hate 80’s hair bands, they at least kept the fever at a boil with rock-n-roll. I’m sorry if I rain on your parade, but I couldn’t resist to opine. (ooops misspelled)