Tomorrow May Come, Tomorrow May Never Come Again

So, I was listening to the radio last night and the DJ was discussing a list that Rolling Stone magazine put out regarding the top 25 guilty pleasure bands or something like that. He listed off some of the artists which I can safely say I take no pleasure in guilty or otherwise, but then he mentioned that the number one guilty pleasure band of all time is none other than that Canadian power trio Rush. The DJ went on to say that he didn’t consider Rush to be a “guilty pleasure band” and that he was unaware of any Rush fans who were embarrassed to admit that they dug Rush since they were legitimately talented rock musicians. That’s when I bowed my proverbial head in shame because I realized that I could be one of the “secret” Rush fans to which the list was alluding.

Even though I haven’t listened to Rush regularly in years (at least since high school), I still have tons of Rush albums stashed away and could still readily list off my favorite tracks, albums, etc from the band. I’ve seen them in concert a number of times. I will attest to the musical virtuosity of each of the respective members, and would not be afraid to list Neil Peart as one of the best drummers of all time. Plus, he writes a lot of the song lyrics as well. Only a real geek would know that. And maybe that’s the problem. Listening to Rush is often equated with being a geek. It is hard to pretend to be a hipster and listen to all the cool, hipster artists and yet have 80s prog-rock albums in your collection. It’s contradictory. But then again, isn’t being hip really about not trying, not caring, and actually embracing things not generally considered “hip” by the mainstream? So, wouldn’t listening to Rush by that definition actually be a hip thing to do? Can I really crank “By-tor and the Snow Dog” without fear of shame by my peers?

Eh, I didn’t think so.

But it did make me wonder what other albums that I have stashed away in my collection that I would be equally embarrassed by should the hipster police come calling. I don’t have my CD collection in front of me right now, but I do know that it contains some of these treasures:

Stone Temple Pilots. My friends and I LOVED this band in high school. I have very fond memories driving around in my buddy Troy’s T-bird cranking these guys. We even saw them a number of times in concert. I never did understand why they were accused of ripping off Pearl Jam. They sound nothing like them. But still to this day, if you claim to be a STP fan, you get dogged on because of it. Sure, they weren’t the best grunge band (that title goes to Alice in Chains), but they are still a fun listen. Plush is a bit overplayed, but “Crackerman” is a great volume-cranker, and I still have a fondness for “Big Empty.” So there, I admit it. What else…

Ok, Hank Williams Jr’s Greatest Hits. Wait... come back I can explain. You see, I spent almost 10 years of my life in Tennessee, from first grade until just before my sophomore year in high school (please don’t hold it against me). Back in the late 80s/early 90s Hank was huge. Well, at least down south. He was entertainer of the year like three times in a row, singing MNF theme songs and selling out arenas everywhere. In fact the first concert I ever paid to see was to a Hank Jr show. Believe it or not, my friends and schoolmates were very jealous that I got to go. So, even though that CD hasn’t been spun in at least 15 or more years I still hold onto it just for that memory. And for the record, no, I don’t listen to country music of kind. And no, I will not explain why I saw Hank twice, or why I have also seen Kenny Rogers, Charlie Daniels, Lee Greenwood, or a handful of other country concerts either…

The Cars. Does this count as a guilty pleasure? When I was a sophomore in high school they were a permanent fixture in my CD changer. However, after about a year or so of countless listenings, I haven’t listened to them since. Even when they come on the radio I kind of shrug. I keep the disc around though just in case I get a biting case of nostalgia and need to hear “Let’s Go” immediately. That’s never happened, but you know, if I ever got rid of it you know it would.

There are many more like that, but I think I am getting off-track. Technically, for it to be a “guilty-pleasure” it has to be a band that you secretly love but you are embarrassed to admit that you love them. Do I have any bands like that… hmmm… let me see… you know, once during a music conversation at a past place of employment, I was dogging on AC/DC. I don’t consider myself an AC/DC fan by any means (does every single song have the exact same drum beat or what?), but a buddy of mine called me out and said that he bet that when I am all alone in the car that if an AC/DC song came on the radio I would be cranking it like everybody else. Sad thing is, years later, I have found this to be true. I will be driving along absent-mindedly and notice that I am in the middle of “Who Made Who” or “Shoot to Thrill” and totally cranking it. And don’t even ask me about singing along to “Big Balls”…

But the biggest guilty pleasure that I can think of right now has to be early Van Halen. I know, they totally cheesed out with Sammy Haggar and then (even worse) with Gary Cherone of Extreme. Yes, I know they put out a whole bunch of really crappy records in the late 80s and onwards. However, back in the David Lee Roth days they totally rocked. Ok, I know I’ve just lost all of my hipster credibility, but listen to their first two albums and then tell me that Eddie Van Halen doesn’t deserve all of the guitar god praise that he gets. But bottom line is that the songs are fun to listen to. I don’t put in a VH album very often, but you can guarantee if I hear some classic VH like “Unchained”, “Hot for Teacher”, or especially “Eruption” it’s getting cranked. Guilty as charged.