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Pop Talk
With David Segal
Washington Post Music Critic
Wednesday, March 12, 2003; Noon ET

For a few years, he played guitar and sang in a deeply terrible cover band, the Bremers. The highlight of the group's show was a stalker version of "Leavin' on a Jet Plane," which was retitled "You're NOT Leavin' on a Jet Plane." He's been at The Post for going on eight years, first as a Book World editor, then a Business section reporter and finally as pop music critic. He enjoys the work and would like to point out that he is writing his bio, even though it's written in the third person, like someone else wrote it. Segal is doing that so he appears more important than he is, which is hilarious when you think about it!

The transcript follows.

Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.

David Segal: Before we open the phones, has anyone read Robert Christgau’s essay for the Village Voice’s 2002 Pazz & Jop poll? If yes, did you understand it?

If yes again, can you pretty please explain it to me?

Some background: P&J is a poll of a few hundred pop critics around the country, all of whom are invited to submit a list of favorite albums and singles. Through an elaborate point system, these lists are tabulated into an uber-list reflecting the collective wisdom and taste of all these writers. The whole thing is then published in the Village Voice in February. It’s a great concept: everyone who loves to argue loves a list, and through the wonders of the Internet you can now view the selections of everyone who participates. You can take a look at poll results here:

villagevoice.com/specials/pazznjop/02/album_winners1.php

and my best of list here:

http://villagevoice.com/specials/pazznjop/02/critic.php?criticid=3183

So far, so fun. The trouble starts and ends with the poll’s year-end roundup penned by Robert Christgau, a Voice critic who’s been in the rock writing biz for decades and a man often referred to as “the dean of rock criticism.”

Well, party people, if this man is the dean we’re going to have to burn down the college. Let me show you why. Here’s the second sentence of Christgau’s piece:

“The year was so bad it quashed a worthier worst one-two finish and continued on to a worst one-two-three, so bad that a worse finish yet could come in a worse year yet--namely the 2003 this worst year sets up.”

I think I see a point here -- Christgau is disappointed by the top vote getters, Wilco’s “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” and Beck’s “Sea Change.” But where a simple stride would do, the guy always leaps for the triple sowcow, or just pirouettes into a 100 mph, grammar-hashing blur. You’ll assume I dropped a word from the following quote, but it’s verbatim:

“The producer as auteur is an idea whose time has come and then some; having gotten to where what are called beats sometimes reject, sometimes exploit, and sometimes just are what are called hooks, we need figureheads with more rebop than Jeff Tweedy.”

What the hell is rebop? And where can Jeff Tweedy, Wilco’s lead singer, get more of it?

“How I tell them apart,” Christgau writes of the gold and silver finishers, “is that Wilco is the one I tried to hate and ended up respecting and Beck is the one I tried to like and ended up walking around the room until it could get home on its own.”

Is he saying that the Beck album was drunk but then sobered up? Sure, friends don’t let albums drive drunk, but if Christgau really waited for “Sea Change” to dry out, does that mean that he ultimately enjoyed it? Or at least gave it cab fare?

Your guess is as good as mine. Maybe better. The point of Christgau’s essay, of course, isn’t to edify or entertain or sum up or sift. It’s to prove two things: A) Dude knows waaaaay more about pop than you, and B) His vocabulary can kick your vocabularies’ butt. I’m sure he’s right on both counts -- well, as least as far as my knowledge and my vocabulary are concerned. But I’ve never enjoyed rock criticism as an Uncle Miltie-style whose-is-bigger contest. Pop writing should be distracting and illuminating and a little provocative and if possible it should make you laugh and maybe run out and buy an album. That’s about it.

None of this would be worth noting but for Mr. Christgau’s apparent spot at the head of the pop-scribe class. I fear there might be aspiring writers out there who read this P&J essay and assume that rock journalism is actually about pretense and convolution, rather than clarity and chuckles. He could be creating hordes of Little Roberts! Think of it! More inscrutable references to “Debussyan tone color” and “hoary anodynes” and a band’s “depressive inability to control an encroaching environment.” It could mean more threats to opine “about the matched insufficiencies of broken field run and power play, aestheticism and moralism.”

Is that a world you want to live in?

No sireee, Bob.

------------

Ok, enough of that. A show tip: Mr. Airplane Man, tonight at the Black Cat. Mighty fine two-piece blues-rockers in the White Stripe’s vein --drummer and guitar. It ought to be fun.

Chat fodder:

Bon Jovi was in the hizzy a few days ago, so we can talk about him, and Godspeed You! Black Emp, who came and sulked through a couple hours of music at the 9:30 Club.

And let’s revisit a topic: Inane lyrics. I was listening the other day to Elton John’s “Candle in the Wind” and it suddenly struck me that the words don’t make a lick of sense.

“And it seems to me you lived your life, like a candle in the wind/Never knowing who to cling to when the rain set in.”

Well, how the hell does a candle cling to anything? And if it CAN cling to something, how would it cling to a person? Anyway, what the hell is this candle doing in the wind and rain?

And trivia: I’ve been reading about Motown lately. Label founder Berry Gordy engaged in an illegal activity before earning a fortune through music.

What was that profession?

Let’s go.

Chicago, Ill.: I'm going to guess that Berry Gordy was a numbers runner, a not-so-uncommon activity in automotive plants.

If you're talking about inane lyrics, Bernie Taupin has got to be up there with anyone -- just pick any Elton John lyric at random. "If I was a sculptor/But then again, no"

One of the worst lyrics, in so many ways, was in Allen Iverson's "Forty Bars," the foul-mouthed single that (thankfully) killed the idea of NBA players releasing rap records. The worst of much badness:

"Come to me with (homosexual epithet that rhymes with maggot) tendencies/you'll be sleepin' where the maggots be"

Gay-bashing aside, I have one question: Tendencies/maggots be?

David Segal: I sort of wish I'd had a chance to hear that Iverson album, because it sounds amazingly dreadful.

I love that sculptor lyric. I guess Taupin produced a few doozies in his day.

And as for the Gordy answer -- not the one we're looking for, sorry to say.

Alexandria, VA: Howdy, David!

Away from the desk today, so forgive the early submission. Here's one for the "mixed feelings" file: Did you see that seven-page spread on Sonic Youth...in Entertainment Weekly?

Do I laugh? Do I cry?

David Segal: I'd do a 50-50 split. A few giggles then a couple tears.

Georgetown, Washington, D.C.: WAY TO GO on picking off that rock critic! I HATE those sententious bastards (yup, I have vocabulary skills, too.) One gets the idea that they're writing for each other, not us folks who buy CDs and got to shows.

Meanwhile, what's the status of Pete Townsend's pedophilia arrest? Have the authorities accepted his explanation?

David Segal: It looks from this link

http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,11421,00.html

that Pete is either off the hook or soon to be off the hook. This is the latest news that I've seen, at any rate.

Washington, D.C.: Hey Dave!

Agree with you 110 percent about rock journalism. Unfortunately, like the leftover keg beer you'd save in plastic jugs after a party back in college, rock critics don't age well. That whole need to validate your existence by elevating your trade to esoteric heights and all. The writing should be what rock/pop itself is supposed to be: fresh, energetic, a little bit dangerous, and above all, fun.

Best shows seen recently: Alejandro Escovedo at the Barns (even he was shocked how good he and the band sounded that night) and Tim Easton at Iota (he was locked in, which I prefer more than his rambling sets in the past).

Best surprise CD: The new Nada Surf album -- not a band I'd normally pursue, but got it on a hunch and it's paying off. Some sweet pop, despite occasional Matchbox 20-type moments.

David Segal: Yes, it's a little weird that pop critics seem to have tenure for these gigs. I mean, at a newspaper anyway, beats tend to get rotated around pretty regularly, say once every four years or so. The pop writers, though, rarely seem to get up and switch chairs when the music starts, which is a little weird because of all the beats out there, pop might be the most rapidly changing, the most trendy -- in other words, something that might be in need of some fresh eyes.

That said, I must say that some of the pop writers I love the most have been at it the longest.

I'll check out the new Nada Surf.

Springfield, Va.: Welcome back ... I am the mom of the daughter who has a "gift" for picking out the up and coming talent. You asked for some specifics ... here they are: Her picks in the past have been (and keep in mind this is BEFORE they made it big) - New Found Glory, Simple Plan, N.E.R.D., AFI, Finch, No Use for a Name, Atari's ... and she thinks Jurassic 5 is up and coming. Got a place for someone like her on your nighttime show? Do you perhaps need an intern?

And on the Berry Gordy Jr question ... was it payola -- the illegal activity? I think he was a fighter and worked at an auto plant, but I thought those were legitimate.

Love the chats ...
Mom in Springfield

David Segal: I like your daughter's list, especially her affection for NERD. I'm afraid our radio show is sooo paltry and pointless and impoverished in every sense of the word that your daughter really won't want any part of it.

But she can listen, if she's up for an hour of inane yammering about pop, from 10 to 11 pm on WJFK. The Music Show, party people. A limited run on the air, I'd wager.

Jefferson, Md.: Hey Dave,

I'm writing a paper for school on independent music stores vs. chain stores (Best Buy, Sam Goody, etc.). I need to know what factors contribute to the CD prices each kind of store sets. Are prices for indie shops generally higher? How do retailers purchase CDs? Is there anywhere on the Web where I can find more information? Also, which do you prefer: your local Mom and Pop shop or Best Buy?

Thanks.

David Segal: My info on this isn't nearly as good as this man's

Jim Donio, who is a spokesman for NARM (National Association of Record Manufacturers, I think? He can be bothered at 856 596 2221, ext. 25

Tell him Large Marge sent you.

You might also call Mike Dreese, who owns Newburry Comics (sp? Ed. please check before posting) He's pretty much a genius and can be bothered at 617 254 1666.

Tell him Jimmy Bag o' Donuts sent you.

New Orleans, La.: Since you cover the music biz, and they have been complaining lately about music downloads eating into their sales, I was just wondering. For the most part, do you download stuff? Or buy CDs? Or do you get everything via industry freebies?

David Segal: I get so many freebies that I rarely download. Even if wanted to download like a college sophomore, I couldn't because there's a fire wall here at work that blocks me from file downloading sites like Kazaa and I have a Mac at home. Have yet to find a Mac-friendly version of Kazaa.

New York, N.Y.: Of course Xgau isn't the most readable writer in the world, but isn't it disingenuous to chalk up his dense prose as empty grandstanding? Why try to denigrate someone's writing style with hollow criticisms that fail to address what he writes, how he writes and why he writes the way that he does?

While the Beck record bored me to crocodile tears and the Wilco album wore out its welcome quickly (and this from a big fan), I, for one, was happy to see Xgau address the mediocrity of the records, and admit his struggles with liking/disliking each of them. Ambivalence is a good thing, and a struggle toward ambivalence is even better.

As for your P&J ballot, where are the singles? Quick: Top Ten singles of 2002!

David Segal: I can't be rushed like that!

Seriously, I'll make a list for next time. I'm guessing there's some Missy Elliot on there and some NERD and...well, I'll report back in two weeks.

As for Xgau, I think I addressed how he writes and I think I confessed confusion about what he was saying. Yes, I know he was professing ambivalence but beyond that, I'm a little baffled.

Capitol Hill: Right on Dave! Rarely have I ever completely understood (let alone actually ENJOYED) essays by Christagu and Greil Marcus and writers of their ilk. Thanks for ranting about a topic that has always driven me nuts -- don't these guys know the music is supposed to be fun?

(Is "ilk" a literary enough term to make me sound smart?)

David Segal: Thanks.

I like ilk, but you're going to have to do better than that to hang with the writers you mentioned. See if you can work in dystopia. That works every time.

Capitol Hill: Hey Dave,

Have to pass on a recommendation -- "Give up" by The Postal Service. It's a side project of the singer from Death Cab for Cutie ... and it is excellent. Sort of blisfully retro synth-pop, but in a good way. Some of the tracks honestly sound like music from old Nintendo games, only with words, and amazingly enough, its very enjoyable.

David Segal: I heard the Postal Service the other day and was not blown away. But others are so, party people, if you buy this baby and love it, praise Capitol Hill. If you don't enjoy it, I'm innocent.

Fairfax, Va.: I went to see a taping of the Late Show on Monday in New York. Before the taping, when the warmup guy introduced Paul Shaffer and the band, several of the guys in the band ran out on stage dressed in snazzy black tie getups. During the show Paul explained that he and the CBS Orchestra were going to be the house band for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony being taped later that night at the Waldorf Astoria. Did you go to that?

David Segal: No, I didn't go. I look forward to watching the show, but it's not an event the Post would send me to, even if I asked, which I probably wouldn't. I'm not a huge fan of the concept and when I visited the Hall in Cleveland I thought it was kind of annoying. All those lines, rules and laminates. Very un-rock and roll!

Nit Picky: "While the Beck record bored me to crocodile tears. . . ."

Crocodile tears are FAKE, insincere tears, so does this mean you weren't 'really' bored, but just pretending?

David Segal: I missed that nuance.

Washington, D.C.: A question regarding which shows are selected for coverage by the Post ...

I recently attended two great shows, Mission of Burma and then Supergrass, but saw neither show covered in the Post. Given the importance of MOB, I was a bit shocked to see no mention of that show. What gives?

Thanks for your input.

David Segal: You weren't looking hard enough. We reviewed both of those shows. The pieces ran on the inside of Style, which is pretty much where most of reviews go. By the way, I was at the MoB show and I thought it was awesome.

Gaithersburg Cube Farm: That Christgau stuff reads like a guy who wanted to be an academic literary deconstruction geek but flunked out sophomore year and couldn't get his Ph.D. So he makes up his own ambiguous vocabulary and tortured syntax. Better than the real thing, actually, which isn't saying much.

Fave new band (new for me, anyway): The Donnas. Them girls rock.

David Segal: If you like the Donnas, you might like the Datsuns, who'll play 9:30 next week. New Zealanders who've all adopted the last name Datsun and rock it old school 70s style, with nods to guitar riff maniacs like ZZ Top, the Nuge, MC-5 and of course, the Ramones.

Bethesda, Md.: Thank you for putting Godspeed in their place. I'm so sick of people fawning over these boring, super pretentious bands, completely humorless bands. (Sigur Ros and, of course, Radiohead being the other main culprits.)

What are your expectations for the Television show in a couple weeks? Psyched? Not so psyched? (And yes, I realize that many might -- correctly -- classify Television as pretentious, with their tendency for extra-long solos, but at least there are some actual songs in there, too.)

David Segal: That Godspeed show was almost hysterically pious. But any guy who would compare a pop venue to a death camp, as a member of Godspeed did in an interview, really can't be taken seriously.

Fingers crossed about Television. I'll be there.

Van Ness, Washington, D.C.: Payola.
What a quaint idea that this used to be a big deal. Is it time to rethink payola? In today's market with so many made-for-TV bands should we just chuck it and let broadcasters accept pay for play?

David Segal: It wasn't payola. We're talking before he got into music. Every label was into payola in those days, as are most labels now.

City Paper did a great piece about payola a week or two ago. Strongly recommended history.

Washington, D.C.: I've been reading the Voice Poll and Christgau's essay since their inception in the early 70's. Yeah, no doubt they're quite obtuse and they get worse every year. The essays were actually quite readable AND understandable up until the late 70's. Things got a little weird when he started talking about the "new punk hegemony" in '78. Don't know why the change -- fatherhood, stopped taking drugs?, continued balkinization of music?, new thesaurus? feud with Dave Marsh? A myriad of possibillities!

David Segal: Well, it sure beats the hell out of me.

Even John Hiatt Can Be Nonsensical: From Slow Turning:

"I always thought our house was haunted

'Cause nobody said 'boo' to me"

If the house was haunted, wouldn't somebody be saying boo to him?

David Segal: I like it!

Out there: Berry Gordy was a bookie before he became a pimp. I mean record producer.

David Segal: You're close.

Gordy was a pimp before he became a record producer.

Yes, according to his second wife, Raynoma, Gordy had a sideline for a while pimping out ladies in Detroit. Ray found out when Gordy announced one day that he was quitting the biz because he had no stomach for the brutality it required.

Washington, D.C.: "... And You'll Know us by the Trail of the Dead" at the Black Cat next month. Heard anything about how they are live?

Heh, I think we now have another band for the "great band/bad name" concept you mentioned w/Myracle Brah.

David Segal: I hear they're pretty great live.

That is hilarious name. I'm guessing these guys take themselves pretty seriously.

Although nobody takes themselves as seriously as Godspeed!

Soaking up Sheryl's bad lyrics: Loved Chicago's Elton John reference -- how about Sheryl Crow's "Soaking up the sun" what a random song -- I can't afford his gas/
So I'm stuck here watching TV.

David Segal: Whoa.

East Village, NYC: Hi Dave ... not to be too cynical ... but:

When is everyone going to get tired of the White Stripes?

David Segal: Never!

Or at least not any time soon. Seriously, this new album, Elephant, is soooo damn good. It's just simple and catchy and honest and fun as hell and it makes you wonder why there aren't a dozen albums like it every years.

I'm afraid if you're tried of the WS already, you're in trouble. Got a feeling that Elephant will be a monster.

Denver, Colo.: David,

Who's your favorite rebop musician, anyway? Bud Powell, Charlie Parker? Just curious ...

David Segal: You've stumped me. I can't think of a single rebop artist, but if you know where they're storing the rebop please alert Jeff Tweedy.

Washington, D.C.: Dave, my man,

A couple of chats ago, you were recommending that Motley Crue biography, The Dirt, and I just have to say that I concur entirely. That books rocks! It confirms everything that we had long suspected, namely, that Vince Neil is a bloated, mindless redneck, Tommy Lee has the maturity of a five-year-old with ADD, and Nikki Sixx is the only one in the band with a brain or any talent. Oh, and Mick Mars? Well, apparently he really is 87 and suffers from some degenerative bone condition that makes his life horrible torture. How cool is all that?

All in all, it's my second favorite rock and roll book, right after Stanley Booth's one on the Stones' 1969 tour.

David Segal: Glad you enjoyed the book.

Vince Neil is playing Jaxx this weekend, if you're interested. It won't be dull.

Big ol' Dave ... : First, kudos on trashing that guy. Like you said, he should lighten up with the pretensions. Also, the whole 'what a bad year in rock/pop' stuff is nonsense. Elvis's album was good; so was Billy Bragg's; so was Wilco's, so was Nick Lowe's, so was etc., etc. Every year lots of good stuff gets released; it might not be of Revolver quality, but big deal.

Second, did you catch Paul Weller's show? Man, what a concert. It was the smallest venue of his tour and he still put on a great show.

David Segal: I wasn't there, sad to say. Heard mixed things about the Weller show. Our reviewer raved about it; others said it was a little listless.

Gaithersburg, Md.: My daughter's wedding is upcoming and will be local. My biggest quandry is selecting the band, and I was hoping you might have some suggestions. We enjoyed the music of a five-piece acoustic band that performed at a wedding we attended in Vancouver, B.C., but they are not available. We'd love to locate an acoustic, folk or roots oriented acoustic band such as they are, but have been unable to locate anything locally. A repertoire that ranges from the Byrds "Sweetheart of the Rodeo" phase to some international tunes would be helpful, as would good musicianship and vocal harmonies. We're trying to avoid the typical glitzy cover band or a band that features one singer and the standard assortment of back-up musicians. I'd really appreciate any suggestions you might have. Thanks.

David Segal: I'd recommend the Grandsons of the Pioneers. Check them out and book them at

http://www.grandsons.com/booking/

YES YES YES YES YES: YES I am sick of the White Stripes! TALK ABOUT A PRETENTIOUS BAND! We've got the super-mod, don't-give-a-damn guitar/singer and his bristly, "badass" sister on drums. You have to feel sorry for people who make redundant, meaningless music like this and expect people to take it seriously.

David Segal: Awwww. How can you get sick of straight-ahead garage rock, of sloppy strumming that harkens to Led Zep and pays tribute to electric blues giants from the South? And check out the WS interview in the NYT magazine last Sunday. They give a damn!

15th and L: I think the rebop was awarded to Jay Farrar when Uncle Tueplo broke up back in the mid-90s.

David Segal: Well, he ought to hand over some of that rebop. Nobody should horde all the rebop. If I had a surplus of rebop, I would share it my band mates, if I had band mates.

Gaithersburg Cube Farm: And They Shall Know Us By the Trail of Dead was on Letterman some months ago. Godawful self-important tuneless howling. Dave came out after their number (and the obligatory equipment-smashing) and said, "Thanks, fellows. Don't neglect your studies."

David Segal: I remember that! It was hilarious. Yes, those dudes were awful deadpan about the whole thing. Must be youth. I have to figure that only someone in the 18 to 27 age category could do something as fun as rock the Letterman show and pout about it.

Springfield, Va.: "If she's up..."...obviously you have forgotten the very nature of 18- year-olds ... almost vampire-like. That's why interning for your show would work out - AT LEAST she'd be doing something constructive with her time! She has looked at many colleges and always asks "do you have a radio station?" I think she's envisioning some cool radio job ... which scares the living daylights out of mom ... she has radio names picked out as well. Gotta love them!

Thanks for responding.

David Segal: Well, your daughter really ought to intern for a real radio show. We have no work for ourselves, let alone an intern. She'd just show up and laugh at us. Thanks for the offer.

Olney, Md.: Elvis C hosts the Letterman show tonight!

David Segal: I heard that. Very cool. I'm sure that Mr. Airplane will be done with their set in time for me to watch EC try his hand at hosting. MAP is the opening act, I believe.

Washington, D.C.: I don't care about the pretentious pontificating, but the Village Voice poll is discouraging. I haven't cared about that thing since Public Enemy was topping the list, back in the day. Now those were good times!

And here's my suggestion for all rock critics -- instead of denigrating the current dreck, or worse, hyping the current dreck, you should all get together and plan a national public holiday for Chuck Berry. Now that would be cool.

David Segal: There's a novel idea. Maybe we can both hype old and new dreck AND lobby for a Berry national holiday. It is amazing that this giant still walks among us. When I saw him last year (or year before) here in town a friend said "It's like watching Beethoven play the 5th."

Arlington, Va.: Saw Bon Jovi on Sunday night. I didn't know what to expect, but, um, WOW! What a difference between live and TV. Amazing energy. He rocked for over two hours. I was very impressed. I just hope they know when to stop, a la the Stones. Oh, and The Goo Goo Dolls opened, awesome.

David Segal: There were a lot of happy people in that hall.

Here's my take on it, a review which ran yesterday:

By David Segal
Washington Post Staff Writer

And in the '80s, the Men With Large Hair created pop metal.

And the Fans beheld the pop metal and declared that it was good.

And for three thousand days and three thousand nights the Men With Large Hair bestrode the world, and lo did they unleash enough hair spray to cover 50 hectares of earth with Unscented Super Hold Aqua Net.

But by the early '90s the pop metal did seem as silly as the Duck named Donald.

And all of the Men With Large Hair did vanish.

Except one.

And so it was that on March 9, 2003, Bon Jovi did sell out MCI Center, where the Fans did praise Bon Jovi and did sing "Your love is like bad medicine!" with hearts of joy and jeans of stonewash.

And . . .

All right. Enough of this Bible-speak. Sorry, but there's something about a packed arena at a Bon Jovi concert that just cries out for the language of the Old Testament. Because we're talking about a miracle here, aren't we? Bon Jovi has changed little during its 20-year career, unless you count haircuts -- and even if you count haircuts, we're not talking here about a radical makeover so much as a tasteful trim.

We look heavenward for answers. While pop metal fades deeper into our slightly embarrassed collective memory, Jon Bon Jovi and his four band mates -- guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres and bass player Hugh McDonald -- thrive. The band's eighth album, "Bounce," has sold a respectable 585,000 copies. The group shows up at national events, like the Super Bowl, and on a slow night plays to 17,000, numbers that former peers like Motley Crue, Warrant, Poison, Ratt and Judas Priest could never muster.

Why Bon Jovi? Jon Bon Jovi, now 41, is the obvious place to start. He has almost-pretty looks but a regular-guy persona, plenty of heart and more than enough muscle, a sentimental side and a macho streak. Which means he appeals equally to men and women. It was couples night at MCI; Bon Jovi is one of the great date bands in history, and the group pulls in not just adults who rocked their senior proms to "Livin' on a Prayer" but also kids who couldn't have been out of diapers when that song was released.

The group performed in front of and beneath three enormous satellite dishes, which rotated every once in a while and served as video screens for a series of dialogue-free short films -- with actors and everything -- that dramatized tales told in the group's new songs. The story lines were often hard to follow: A violent drug deal went awry during "Right Side of Wrong," and a kid in what looked like the Gaza Strip tried to communicate with a ham radio during "Hook Me Up." For "Everyday," the band's most direct response to the attacks of 9/11, actors feigned grief at the loss of loved ones. At one point, an elderly man is seen tearfully removing his wedding ring.

Corny? Yes, indeed. The rap on the New Jersey-born Jon Bon Jovi is that he's a lower-brow, pop-metal version of Bruce Springsteen -- Rutgers to the Boss's Princeton. "I just want to live my life while I'm alive," he sang on "It's My Life," which feels like his stab at the bust-loose spirit conveyed in "Born to Run." And live, Bon Jovi's borrowings extend beyond story songs about cars, hopeful losers and triumphant love that are Springsteen staples. The guy is now mimicking the Dust Bowl accent that Bruce somehow acquired eight or so years ago.

Sambora changed hats about a dozen times, and puckered into that something stinks up here face that Stevie Ray Vaughan popularized years ago. Bryan's one solo owed a little too much to Roy Bittan's work with the E Street Band. So Bon Jovi doesn't invent. It churns up what's already out there, adds a touch of the greaser, and fronts the whole thing with a charismatic guy who seems to love his job and his fans. That's plenty -- and it could mean that Jon Bon Jovi plays packed arenas, punches the air, urges a cappella crowd singalongs and struts around in leather pants for a very long time.

Amen?

Arlington, Va.: Haven't had time to read more than your intro ...

What do you think of Lester Bangs' writing/criticism?

David Segal: It's pretty entertaining, and I'm glad he wrote the way he did, but I don't read the guy for tips about how I should write. I recently read his review of an early Springsteen album and it was terrific. He really nailed the spirit of the Boss and totally understood that the guy would be huge and just how promising a record "Asbury Park" really was. What's really fun about Bangs is that he took rock to heart so intensely. It really MATTERED to this guy.

WHOA WHOA WHOA: Have to disagree with the poster slamming Sigur Ros. They are indeed tremendously pretentious, but their new record has some great moments. I wouldn't shell out good money to go see them sing their silly fake language in person, but its still a good listen at home.

David Segal: I'm with you. When I watched them in concert, they were pretty dull. They don't do much but play their songs then take a bow and leave.

Somewhere, USA: I agree w/ the White Stripes comment. Hopefully I don't sound prejudiced but I think the only reason people are flipping out over them is because they're bleeping British. Big deal. I've made better music with a loofah in my shower.

David Segal: Well, you really ought to get a record deal for that loofah sound your making, Somewhere. I doubt that people are swooning for the band because they are British. I believe they're from Detroit.

Bon Jovi lyrics: Here's my favorite ridiculous one:

"I've seen a million faces
AND I ROCKED THEM ALL AWAY"

Also, I think I saw this in Spin years ago, an alternate way to sing "Bad Medicine."

"Thoreau is like RALPH EMERSON
RALPH EMERSON is what I read!"

David Segal: I love this!

Sick of YES YES YES YES YES:: Musical dilemma -- the second an indie band gains a modicum of exposure (say the WS, or Pavement back in the day with "Haircut") or sells out to corporate America (i.e. the Shins to McDonalds), are we supposed to stop liking them because their indie cred is gone. I waffle on this one, because I really don't know. On one hand, I get sick of overexposure, on the other, good for the band.

David Segal: I just think you judge the band on their music, rather than their label. A lot of bands get wealthy and lose their edge when they join up with a major, but if they don't why hold their corporate backing against them? Because they're making dough? Supporting the economy? Joined at the hip with The Man? I don't know. I work for The Man -- also called the Washington Post -- so I can't get upset when others do the same.

You're right that overexposure is a very real problem. If we overload on the WS in the coming months that'll shorten their career by a few years.

Re: Sheryl's Bad Lyrics: Now, Now ... You have to put those two lines with the two before.
My friend, the Communist/ Holds Meetings in his RV/ I can't afford his gas/ So I'm stuck here watching TV ... Now that may be a stupid lyric (and I love Sheryl) but I don't think it's random.

David Segal: Appeciate it.

Washington, D.C.: Was Gordy associated with the world's oldest profession before he started the world's most influential record label?

David Segal: Want to give this caller props for getting this correct before I posted the right answer.

Lexington Park, Md.: Dave, my man, where has all the good metal gone? I picked up a Down CD (led by Phil from Pantera) and it was absolutely horrible. Please don't tell me that at 24 I have to now move into alt rock and such. Wilco, The Stokes, etc. may be good music to you, but I just find them boring.

David Segal: What about Queens of the Stone Age? They're where metal is for me. I love those dudes.

Great White: Any word on the finger pointing and inevitable lawsuit preparation that's going on in the wake of the Great White tragedy?

David Segal: I haven't heard much about this in past few days. Sounds like those club-owning brothers are in for a world of litigation and unpleasantness. I'd hate to predict an outcome, but you have to figure that someone will be headed to jail, eventually. Maybe we'll see a few people headed to the pokey.

Whatever happens, it's just a sickening tragedy.

Ok, on that unhappy note. I'm heading out for lunch, and I recommend you do the same, if you haven't already.

Thanks for stopping by. Seeing you in a couple.

Till then,

Rock on with your bad self.

David

washingtonpost.com:

That wraps up today's show. Thanks to everyone who joined the discussion.

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