earlier in the week culturebot had a conversation with someone and we found ourselves using a very scholarly word for that thing you feel that is kind of like pathos but more. we called it “the ouch”. and it’s that feeling that I mentioned when I saw kommer by kassys at under the radar. that laughing at the edge of the abyss thing. the “this is beautiful and tragic and sad and hilarious and if i don’t laugh i will cry but i will probably do both.” the cruel fist of big truth.

anyway i was thinking about this stuff because…well, just because. sometimes you see stuff and you think, “if they’d ever felt it, really felt it, they could convey it. but they’ve never felt it, so this is just doesn’t ring true.”

culturebot will admit to some rough days back in his blurry past. and while he doesn’t believe in stealing music from artists, he offers you this mp3 in the spirit of reconciliation, in the spirit of the ouch. this is possibly the ouchiest song ever. it totally exactly completely captures life in three chords. It is inconceivable to me that you’ve never heard this song, but if somehow it has escaped your musical attention, now is the time to download “Here Comes A Regular” from the legendary Minneapolis band The Replacements on their groundbreaking record Tim.

Oh and speaking of legends of indie rock (back when indie rock was actually indie) if you want to learn more about the olden days of “alternative” you should check out Michael Azzerad’s “Our Band Could Be Your Life.”

The introduction to the book is really amazing in that it succinctly capsulizes a movement, a moment and ethos that had its most direct expression in music, but also influenced books and theater and all kinds of stuff.