Another reason to hate the White Stripes
I lost a really stupid bet last night. Charlie and I were driving to BarBri when Drive 105 started playing that horrible "Seven Nation Army" song by the White Stripes. I dig a few Stripes songs, but that one makes me want to steer the car into oncoming traffic. Never in my life have I played the drums, nor do I have any idea how to play a guitar, but I guarantee I could perform either in that song. Charlie relates that he likes that "Doorbell" tune, but not "Seven Nation Army," "or that 'we are gonna be friends' one." He starts humming the tune, and I recognize it as the song from the very beginning of Napoleon Dynamite.
"No dude, that's not the White Stripes."
"Who is it then?"
"I have no idea, but I do know that it's not the White Stripes."
"Yeah it is. It's on one of their albums. They only have like four hits. That's one of them."
This all escalated into a heated debate over whether or not the White Stripes actually sing this song.
"Okay Charlie, so you're telling me that it's the only accoustic song they do, the only one without drums, and the only one that sounds nothing like Jack White."
"It does too sound like Jack White!"
I don't remember who proposed it, but we ended up making a bet over this. We're both essentially broke, so the loser would have to clean the entire apartment while the winner sat there watching TV. Charlie calls up Pavlak in the midst of the dispute. That's when I started to realize that maybe I was wrong about this. Pavlak not only agreed with Charlie, but wanted to bet me $40 over the same question. Charlie has him looking around for the song on the web, despite the fact that it's apparently not on the soundtrack and that none of us actually know what the song is called.
We walked into BarBri still arguing over this stupid song that neither of us like. We polled half the evening BarBri class. Finally one guy tells us that it's on the White Blood Cells album. I know I'm cooked at this point, but something inside of me is still certain that the White Stripes could not have singed this song. I borrowed Nilan's computer before class started, hopped onto Amazon, looked up the album and, to my dismay, saw a song entitled "We're Going to Be Friends" listed as a track. Still, no way was I giving up on this. Maybe it's a cover or something, right? So I clicked on the song preview (without knowing that Nilan apparently keeps her computer volume all the way up to eleven). Within a few seconds, the bet is lost with all certainty--and at full volume, too. The song is blasting for all to hear. All three chords of it. By the White Stripes.
What gets me is that I was certain that this song was by some no name indie group...some Built to Spill carbon copy or something. I even remember looking it up on iTunes at one point. Seriously, I would have bet my left nut on that song being by anyone other than that Target commercial gone awry known as the White Stripes (look at this album cover and tell me that it doesn't look like a Target Corp Marketing reject).
Charlie was lapping it up for the following four hours, too--occasionally humming the song through the lecture, calling up Pavlak on the break, etc. When we got back to the apartment, he immediately went straight to his room and started playing the song on his guitar. I'd lucked out eventually though because Charlie had more desire to have some mac and cheese that night than to see the apartment spick 'n span. So rather than having to clean the entire joint with Charlie sitting on the couch playing "We're Going to Be Friends" on repeat, I bought him a gallon of milk, some mac, and promised a few beers next time we go out.
Lesson learned: Don't make bets with Charlie over music. The White Stripes'll getcha.
"No dude, that's not the White Stripes."
"Who is it then?"
"I have no idea, but I do know that it's not the White Stripes."
"Yeah it is. It's on one of their albums. They only have like four hits. That's one of them."
This all escalated into a heated debate over whether or not the White Stripes actually sing this song.
"Okay Charlie, so you're telling me that it's the only accoustic song they do, the only one without drums, and the only one that sounds nothing like Jack White."
"It does too sound like Jack White!"
I don't remember who proposed it, but we ended up making a bet over this. We're both essentially broke, so the loser would have to clean the entire apartment while the winner sat there watching TV. Charlie calls up Pavlak in the midst of the dispute. That's when I started to realize that maybe I was wrong about this. Pavlak not only agreed with Charlie, but wanted to bet me $40 over the same question. Charlie has him looking around for the song on the web, despite the fact that it's apparently not on the soundtrack and that none of us actually know what the song is called.
We walked into BarBri still arguing over this stupid song that neither of us like. We polled half the evening BarBri class. Finally one guy tells us that it's on the White Blood Cells album. I know I'm cooked at this point, but something inside of me is still certain that the White Stripes could not have singed this song. I borrowed Nilan's computer before class started, hopped onto Amazon, looked up the album and, to my dismay, saw a song entitled "We're Going to Be Friends" listed as a track. Still, no way was I giving up on this. Maybe it's a cover or something, right? So I clicked on the song preview (without knowing that Nilan apparently keeps her computer volume all the way up to eleven). Within a few seconds, the bet is lost with all certainty--and at full volume, too. The song is blasting for all to hear. All three chords of it. By the White Stripes.
What gets me is that I was certain that this song was by some no name indie group...some Built to Spill carbon copy or something. I even remember looking it up on iTunes at one point. Seriously, I would have bet my left nut on that song being by anyone other than that Target commercial gone awry known as the White Stripes (look at this album cover and tell me that it doesn't look like a Target Corp Marketing reject).
Charlie was lapping it up for the following four hours, too--occasionally humming the song through the lecture, calling up Pavlak on the break, etc. When we got back to the apartment, he immediately went straight to his room and started playing the song on his guitar. I'd lucked out eventually though because Charlie had more desire to have some mac and cheese that night than to see the apartment spick 'n span. So rather than having to clean the entire joint with Charlie sitting on the couch playing "We're Going to Be Friends" on repeat, I bought him a gallon of milk, some mac, and promised a few beers next time we go out.
Lesson learned: Don't make bets with Charlie over music. The White Stripes'll getcha.
posted by Your Friendly Neighborhood Clark Bar at 6/13/2006 10:45:00 AM
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4 Comments:
Jack is the guy from Cold Mountain, right?
Ya know, I think I did hear something about Jack White being in Cold Mountain. I'd have to look it up though.
MN Life: W&T is a pain in the ass. Part of me wishes I'd taken it as a course during law school so I wouldn't have to study it as much now, but then I would have had to sit through it for an entire semester.
Hello there...
We chose St. Thomas. I guess preliminaryily (is that even a word...eh) We are headed out to MN the second week of July, and unless we get that awful pit in your tum deal, that's where he's headed.
I hope studying for the bar isn't kicking your tush. (But maybe it should be? I don't know. If it was easy, I might worry.)
PS - your post about Pavarotti's resemblence in America's (#2) worst enemy made me laugh outloud. (I thought the same thing.)
I don't know if this will even be read, but I couldn't resist commenting. On my way home tonight, I heard what had to be the most atrocious thing ever on the radio. I would have agreed with Brett that the White Stripes "We are gonna be friends" was one of the worst songs ever, but now it's been topped. Same song, different guilty party. That dirge of a tune has been remade by Jack Johnson, and the tuneful crooner from Honolulu didn't make any improvements. It's seems like this song and "Bananas" will never die. Dammit.
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