My Muse

I'm going to have a minor pop culture moment. Or a music snob moment. Look at it whichever way you want.

I know I bitch about this frequently to my friends and ocassionally as status updates on Facebook. Anyone who has known me for the past maybe 5 years or so knows I'm a Muse fan. I remember hearing "Stockholm Syndrome" and thinking that it was a really good song. Fast forward to 2006 when Black Holes and Revelations came out. By then, they had released a few more songs that they played on the radio in the US - "Time is Running Out" & "Hysteria" among them. I had really liked all the singles they put out from Absolution. The first couple singles off BH&R were amazing, then I was hit with pure sonic bliss otherwise known as "Knights of Cydonia." I was hooked from then on. I went back and downloaded Showbiz, Origin of Symmetry and completed Absolution. I've recently finished tracking down all their old singles for the B-sides. Long story short, I now have a near-complete Muse discography.

Hell, I drove 16 hours roundtrip last weekend to see them in Atlanta. Honestly, I'd drive all night if I had to to see them. If I could afford it, I'd follow them on their entire North America tour and go to Coachella next month just for them (OK, maybe Muse, Thom Yorke, Them Crooked Vultures and MGMT. Damn...why aren't I going to that?)

To the point of this rant.

I hate Twilight for 2 major reasons. #1: The way the books ended was a gigantic cop-out. I lost all my respect for Stephenie Meyer as an author and the books as a whole after I finished reading Breaking Dawn. Are you really going to end the series you just spent 4 books setting up with a verbal discussion and have everyone live happily ever after? Really? They're fucking vampires. Have some blood and guts, for Christ's sake. Even Harry Potter, which is aimed at a younger audience, had the courage to kill off a few of beloved characters. And that was even before the 7th book even started. #2: If it weren't for Twilight, Muse would not be anywhere as near as popular as they are right now. I am in no way accusing them of selling out. They were selling out concerts in coliseums in Europe long before I had ever heard of them. I just feel that their music is above the average Twi-hard's head. I don't think any other band they would typically listen to would have references to the Chaos Theory ("Butterflies and Hurricanes"), not to mention a song named after a psychological condition. OK, kiddies. No cheating. What is Stockholm Syndrome? Most people who say they like Muse only like them because of Twilight and I'm sure if I put them on the spot and asked them to name one song that isn't on the soundtrack, BH&R or The Resistance, they wouldn't know. Name me the B-side for Uno. Hell, name one album that came out before BH&R. And even if you can name me those things, can you honestly tell me you knew who they were before Twilight? Their music is just so out there lyrically, I don't know how it inspired Stephenie Meyer to write a vampire love story. Do you really think "Starlight" is a love song about another person? I'm sure your're wondering "But what about 'I Belong to You?'" It's a song they re-did so they could include it on the New Moon soundtrack since they wanted exclusivity. And I'll give you that it's pretty much a love song, but it's on an album that is extremely political. Besides, it was released in 2009, after the books were done being published.

Ugh. I'm done. I just needed to get all that out in the open. I am in no way letting my bias against Twilight put a damper on my love affair with Muse.

You may now return to your regularly scheduled programming.