A.V. Club Blog

 
 

I am Mellencamp

posted by: Steve Hyden
March 10, 2008 - 7:15am

Cougar 3

Tonight John Mellencamp will be inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall Of Fame, and there’s a good chance you think this is (1) a crock and/or (2) yet another example of why the Rock ‘n’ Roll Of Fame is a crock. Either way, it’s unlikely Jann Wenner’s stamp of historical approval will make Mellencamp any cooler or enjoying his music any more fashionable. And that’s okay, because coolness is Cougar Kryptonite, which, sadly, is not the title of the Mellencamp album that came out between 1982’s American Fool and 1985’s Scarecrow. (That would be 1983’s Uh Huh.) Mellencamp’s muse has always been the enormous chip on his shoulder over other people not thinking he’s cool; it infuses his music, his lyrical stance, his persona, and ultimately forms the core of his appeal. It’s why I sort of love the guy, even if I’m only a casual fan of his music.

How my feelings about Mellencamp have evolved over the years shadows how my feelings have changed about... read more

 
 

Behold the Gygax

posted by: Jason Heller
March 7, 2008 - 10:59am

I don’t know why the hell I even bother—who am I kidding?—but I truly tried to be journalistically objective when I reported the death of Dungeons & Dragons co-creator Gary Gygax on The A.V. Club’s Newswire earlier this week. I had every reason to be subjective, though: I grew up on D&D, and the game had a serious and lasting impact on my life.

Okay, a serious and lasting impact on my lack of a life.

When it comes to D&D, “not having a life” isn’t just some passé putdown. I was 11 or so when I got into the game, and I quite truthfully did not have a life—at least not the life of your typical, healthy, outgoing, American alpha-male-in-training. Sure, I went outside and rode my bike; that is, with Van Halen or Duran Duran on my Walkman,...

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