gem: any work of art or architecture that, without striving for or pretending to be of the first order of artistic greatness, nonetheless delights the listener or viewer  because of its inherent funkiness and soulful authenticity.

feet3.jpg (2458 bytes)

Gems and Duds

Gems

I Fought the Law (Bobby Fuller Four)
John McCain
The Simpsons (TV Show)
Caravan (Van Morrison)
Uma Thurman
Northern Ontario
Superman's Song (Crash Test Dummies)
Tuesday Weld
Tim Horton's Coffee
Highway 45, East of Peterborough
Sultans of Swing (Dire Straits)
Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend (T-Bone Burnett)
If Venice is Sinking (Spirit of the West)
Suzanne (Leonard Cohen)
Rip in Heaven (Til Tuesday)
Anchorage (Michelle Shocked)
Man in the Long Black Coat (Joan Osborne)
In the Cold, Cold Ground (Tom Waits)
Mon Oncle Antoine (Movie)

Duds

George Bush
John Kerry
Anything played at a sports stadium.
Star Trek Sequels
American beer
Dan Quayle
Al Gore
Jewel
Christmas TV Specials
Elton John

Anything by Neil Diamond or Neil Sedaka, the Carpenters, Barry Manilow, or John Denver, Bread, Spice Girls, Bryan Adams, or Anne Murray.

Dan Rather.

Any recent movie with Demi Moore, Julia Roberts, Bruce Willis, or Tom Cruise in it.

 

feet3.jpg (2458 bytes)

Back to NOTES FROM UNDERGROUND

 dud: any work of art or architecture that strives to convey the hallmarks of artistic genius without containing the slightest trace thereof.

 

Movie Gems