Revelations and Doorknobs

For this page, I have selected certain pieces that I wrote for my blog of the same name, which was featured on the website for The Only Podcast That Matters. For four years, along with my friends Chris, Andrew and Jack, as well as many guests, I discussed many aspects of life in a humorous and often irreverent manner, wrote blogs, acted in video sketches, and had an amazing and unforgettable time. I wrote over 100 blogs for the site, and the ones that will be presented here have some special meaning to me. The name for the blog came to me when I began to notice a phenomenon pertaining to modern rock bands, who would throw together two completely incongruous words or objects together for their song titles. To poke fun at that trend, Revelations and Doorknobs was born. I will continue to use the name on this blog, and will write additional pieces as they come to me.

Growing Up 90’s: Oasis “Don’t Look Back In Anger”

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“Slip inside the eye of your mind

Don’t you know you might find 

A better place to play

You said that you’d never been

But all the things that you’ve seen

Will slowly fade away”

The musical centerpiece of this week’s edition of Growing Up 90’s comes from Oasis, the band whose guitarist Noel Gallagher pulled a page from the John Lennon playbook and once claimed were “bigger than God.” The aforementioned song is “Don’t Look Back In Anger” from the band’s 1995 breakthrough album (What’s The Story) Morning Glory, which is not only my favorite song on the record, but from the band as well. Continue reading →

Growing Up 90’s: Reel Big Fish- “Sell Out”

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“Well, I know you can’t work in fast food all your life

But don’t sign that paper tonight

She said, but it’s too late”

A handful of songs by Reel Big Fish (along with No Doubt’s Tragic Kingdom, perhaps) was about as close as I ever got to getting into the ska-punk scene. While I’ve always thought bands that featured a horn section were unique and fun, the sight of badly-dressed kids “skanking,” which was typically a stupid circular dance that required aimless flailing as if your skeletal system had been removed from your body, at the ska concerts at which I found myself was vomit-inducing.  Continue reading →

5 Must-See TV Shows in 2016

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Here at The No Seatbelt Blog, you’ve seen movie reviews, analyses, and recommendations aplenty, but I also watch more television than I care to admit. To break from the box office just a bit, I’m going to put five different television shows on your plate that you’d be remiss not to check out – some are old, some are new, and one is old and new again. Kick back, pick your poison, turn on the tube, and enjoy these essentials this year! Continue reading →

Growing Up 90’s: Aerosmith- “Eat The Rich”

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“Cause I’m sick of your complainin’

About how many bills

And I’m sick of all your bitchin’

‘Bout your poodles and your pills

And I just can’t see no humor

About your way of life

And I think I can do more for you with this here fork and knife”

Boston’s legendary rockers Aerosmith had a colossal album on their hands with Get a Grip in 1993, as the record was loaded with huge singles such as “Amazing,” “Cryin’,” “Crazy,” “Livin’ On The Edge,” and “Eat The Rich.” Get a Grip became Aerosmith’s best-selling album worldwide, and second-best in the United States behind Pump. “Eat The Rich,” the first song on the record after the intro, is a humorous kick-off to this massively successful album. Continue reading →

Billion Dollar Blues

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Two weekends ago, someone finally one the Powerball lottery, which had climbed to the highest jackpot total in United States history, topping off at about $1.5 billion. Several people won, as a matter of fact, splitting the proceeds and putting an end to this round of dreams for millions more who played. The three big winners were from Florida, California, and Tennessee. It always seems to me that when someone wins a huge lottery pot, they’re someone who already has enough money, or they’re from a swamp or trailer park, but I digress. Continue reading →

Seasonal Defect Disorder

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“We’re going to pay for this in January,” I said around Christmas, as temperatures in New Jersey for nearly the whole month of December were in the 50’s and 60’s, and even cracked 70 a couple times. “Unseasonably warm” is a term that is always music to my ears, and I enjoyed every minute of not having bone-chilling wind cut through every layer of clothing I have on, or not having to warm my car up for 20 minutes before I can grip the steering wheel and drive. Continue reading →

Growing Up 90’s: Veruca Salt- “Volcano Girls”

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Volcano girls, we really can’t be beat

Warm us up and watch us blow

Now and then we fail and we admit defeat

We’re falling off

We are watered down and fully grown

At any given point, I’m of the opinion that badass girls are sorely underrepresented in rock and roll, but for the last few years of the 90’s, the ladies from Veruca Salt were doing their part to change that. Fronted by Nina Gordon and Louise Post, the band, named after a character from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, had a fairly sizable hit on their hands with “Volcano Girls.” From the 1997 album Eight Arms to Hold You, the song is the epitome of fun, catchy rock music. Continue reading →

The Ten Most Annoying Things About Facebook

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It’s a wonder any of us still use Facebook throughout the day, considering what a wasteland it has become. We’re all annoyed by much of what we see on our newsfeeds as we mindlessly scroll, but nonetheless, we’re all still addicted, myself included. While no amount of annoyance will likely ever lead me to shut down my own profile, there are so many things that I see on a daily basis from people I should no longer “follow” that make me seethe with anger. Continue reading →

Growing Up 90’s: Mr. Big- “To Be With You”

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Hold on little girl

Show me what he’s done to you

Stand up little girl

A broken heart can’t be that bad

This week on Growing Up 90’s, I’m reaching back to the beginning of the decade for what might be the biggest campfire sing-along in modern rock history, from none other than Mr. Big. “To Be With You,” from the band’s 1991 album Lean Into It is a hugely successful acoustic jam with an insanely catchy chorus, with lead singer Eric Martin’s incredible voice soaring over the backing vocals of his bandmates.  Continue reading →

Growing Up 90’s: Soul Asylum- “Misery”

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They say misery loves company

We could start a company

And make misery

Unless you had a predilection towards that “pump up the jams” garbage during the 90’s, you most likely had to find a way to tolerate the dominance of the grunge wave over the popular music scene. Songs about despair, depression, and pill-popping took over rock radio, and you might have had to flip over to a jock jams tune to find anything remotely positive or encouraging. Luckily, there were some gems that came from the grunge movement, and often enough, the MUSIC was good.  Continue reading →