This last year has been filled with disappointing news. Many famous people passed away, some seemingly well before their time. On the other hand, people that may have nothing good left to offer are left behind to plague the rest of us. The randomness of fate, the repercussions of self-abuse, the inescapable hand of death, have cut short the lives of many whom we expected to watch in the future. In a mostly chronological order:
Angus Scrimm
David Bowie
Alan Rickman
Glenn Frey
LaVoy Finicum
Abe Vigoda
Antonin Scalia
Umberto Eco
Harper Lee
Nancy Reagan
Sir George Martin
Keith Emerson
Garry Shandling
Merle Haggard
Chyna
Lonnie Mack
Prince
Morley Safer
Nick Menza
Burt Kwouk
Harambe
Muhammad Ali
Stuart Anderson
Gordie Howe
Anton Yelchin
Scotty Moore
Elie Wiesel
Fred Tomlinson
Miss Cleo
Kenny Baker
Lou Pearlman
Gene Wilder
Arnold Palmer
Steve Dillon
Leonard Cohen
Janet Reno
Ron Glass
Greg Lake
John Glenn
Alan Thicke
Zsa Zsa Gabor
Florence Henderson
Fidel Castro
Dave Mirra
Boutros Boutros-Ghali
Rob Ford
Tim LaHaye
George Michael
Richard Adams
Carrie Fisher
Debbie Reynolds
This list seems longer than last year's. I'm not sure if that means I'm aging and more people with whom I'm familiar are dying, or whether I'm being less discriminatory in my list-winnowing. Along the lines of aging, gracefully or otherwise, here is a list of albums I've listened to that came out 20 years ago, in 1996. This could technically qualify them all as classic rock. Some of these feel like I've been listening to them for more than 20 years, some of them are still fresh to me. Some are albums I wish I'd never heard, if only so I could pay more attention when I re-hear them for the first time:
Tori Amos - Boys For Pele
Stabbing Westward - Wither, Blister, Burn & Peel
NOFX - Heavy Petting Zoo
2Pac - All Eyez On Me
Gin Blossoms - Congratulations I'm Sorry
The Fugees - The Score
In Flames - The Jester Race
Newsboys - Take Me To Your Leader
The Refreshments - Fizzy, Fuzzy, Big & Buzzy
Bad Religion - The Gray Race
"Weird Al" Yankovic - Bad Hair Day
Stone Temple Pilots - Tiny Music...Songs From the Vatican Gift Shop
The Verve Pipe - Villains
Rage Against the Machine - Evil Empire
Modest Mouse - This Is a Long Drive For Someone with Nothing to Think About
Propagandhi - Less Talk, More Rock
Dave Matthews Band - Crash
The Cranberries - To the Faithful Departed
The Wallflowers - Bringing Down the Horse
Soundgarden - Down on the Upside
Metallica - Load
Belle & Sebastian - Tigermilk
Beck - Odelay
Tonic - Lemon Parade
Red House Painters - Songs For a Blue Guitar
Fiona Apple - Tidal
Sublime - Sublime
Alice In Chains - Unplugged
Eels - Beautiful Freak
Better Than Ezra - Friction, Baby
Type O Negative - October Rust
K's Choice - Paradise In Me
Sebadoh - Harmacy
Pearl Jam - No Code
Cake - Fashion Nugget
Social Distortion - White Light, White Heat, White Trash
Weezer - Pinkerton
Tool - Ænima
Nirvana - From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah
Matchbox 20 - Yourself or Someone Like You
Marilyn Manson - Antichrist Superstar
Korn - Life Is Peachy
Counting Crows - Recovering the Satellites
Wilco - Being There
Mazzy Star - Among My Swan
The Presidents of the United States of America - II
Belle & Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister
Cradle of Filth - Dusk and Her Embrace
Bush - Razorblade Suitcase
Katatonia - Brave Murder Day
The Bloodhound Gang - One Fierce Beer Coaster
Very few of these made the next list, albums I've added to my collection in the last year:
Darkthrone - Sempiternal Past (LP)
Horrendous - Anareta
Sepultura - Arise
The Cure - Pornography
Faith No More - Sol Invictus
Morphine - The Night
Morphine - Good
Enslaved - Eld
MGLA - Exercises In Futility
Def Leppard - High 'N' Dry (LP)
Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures
Dissection - The Somberlain
Uada - Devoid of Light
Iron Maiden - Somewhere In Time
Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden
Cradle of Filth - Dusk and Her Embrace
Finally, the list of the books I've completed this year. Again, fairly heavy on graphic novels. I find this medium easier to jump into after getting the kids in bed and having a few drinks, but there are a few serious works that made the list as well, including an unusual number of true crime books.
Fabio Moon & Gabriel Ba - Daytripper
Garth Ennis - Preacher Book 3
Stephen Collins - The Gigantic Beard That Was Evil
Brian K Vaughan - The Pride of Baghdad
George R R Martin - A Dance With Dragons
Charles Dickens - David Copperfield
Glyn Dillon - The Nao of Brown
Bryan Lee O'Malley - Lost at Sea
Tony Millionaire - The House At Maakies Corner
Patrick Rothfuss - The Wise Man's Fear
Garth Ennis - Preacher Book 4
Erik Larson - The Devil In The White City
Julie Maron - Blue Is The Warmest Color
Brian K Vaughan - Ex Machina Book 1
Marjane Satrapi - The Complete Persepolis
Ben Templesmith - Wormwood Book 1
Ben Templesmith - Wormwood Book 2
Ben Templesmith - Wormwood Book 3
Garth Ennis - Preacher Book 5
Julia Wertz - Drinking At The Movies
Brian K Vaughan - Ex Machina Book 2
Andrew Lang, ed. - The Brown Fairy Book
Greg Stokoe - Orc Stain Book 1
Peter Stenson - Fiend
Garth Ennis - Preacher Book 6
Brian K Vaughan - Ex Machina Book 3
Ernest Cline - Ready Player One
Matt Fraction - Sex Criminals Book 1
Rick Remender - Low Book 1
Brian K Vaughan - Ex Machina Book 4
Mark Millar - Superman: Red Son
Brian K Vaughan - Ex Machina Book 5
Marika McCoola - Baba Yaga's Assistant
Raymond Chandler - The Big Sleep
J R R Tolkien - The Hobbit
Greg Rucka - Lazarus Book 1
Matt Fraction - Sex Criminals Book 2
Alexandre Dumas - The Count of Monte Cristo
Matt Fraction - Casanova Book 1
Roald Dahl - The BFG
Gregory Maguire - Wicked
Skottie Young - I Hate Fairyland Book 1
Neil Gaiman - Sandman: Overture
Blake Nelson - Destroy All Cars
Anne Rice - Interview With The Vampire
William Thackeray - Vanity Fair
Jeffrey Brown - Clumsy
Matt Fraction - Sex Criminals Book 3
Brian K Vaughan - The Runaways Book 1
Brian K Vaughan - Y: The Last Man Book 1
Neil Gaiman - How To Talk To Girls At Parties
Brian K Vaughan - Y: The Last Man Book 2
Norman Mailer - The Executioner's Song
Brian K Vaughan - Y: The Last Man Book 3
Brian K Vaughan - Y: The Last Man Book 4
Ann Rule - The Stranger Beside Me
Brian K Vaughan - The Runaways Book 2
Harvey Pekar - American Splendor Vol 1, 2
Rudyard Kipling - The Jungle Book
Truman Capote - In Cold Blood
Cormac McCarthy - Blood Meridian
Hunter S Thompson - The Gonzo Papers Vol 3
Will Eisner - The Contract With God Trilogy
Brian K Vaughan - The Runaways Book 3
The Brothers Grimm - Household Tales
Brian K Vaughan - Y: The Last Man Book 5
Greg Rucka - Lazarus Book 2
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