I never really understood the “ego before you’re a star” mentality. Basically I’m referring to Brendon “Too Much Eyeliner” Flowers, lead singer of the Killers. Not that I really appreciate the ego once you’ve hit stardom, but at least that seems mildly more justified. I hear rumor that Flowers just keeps running his mouth off about other bands, all the while proclaiming that the Killers next album will be “one of the best albums in the past 20 years.” And no, I don’t make a habit of checking MTV for my entertainment news. I just knew they would be one of the few salivating gossip whores to still have a quote for that.

1. Rise Against’s new video - Though I don’t listen to much hardcore anymore, this Chicago band deserves respect. I enjoy their past two albums (especially while running), but it’s their ideology that I fully admire. Few bands are willing to stick to their social or political beliefs at the possible expense of not reaching a larger audience/larger paycheck. If you’re a veggie, earth lover or just curious…
2. Saving $23 on gas this week - Five days of catching the bus saved me 175 miles on my car and over $20 in gas. Sure, it’s not as convenient, but it’s an excuse to watch Homestarrunner cartoons on my iPod!
3. Nada Surf acoustic session (direct m4a link) - AOL Podcast Session with Ira and Matthew from Nada Surf. A long interview followed by 8 beautifully acoustic renditions of songs spanning their recent albums (music starts at about 27:01). Quite enjoyable! [individual songs can be streamed from the AOL page.
4. Finally having a wireless media server - Last night I finally had a few minutes of peace to put it together: a headless (no monitor) media server that sits hidden in the living room and allows me to control the music for the house from my laptop. Now when Jonas acts up I can play Billy Idol songs at obnoxious volumes to drown him out.
5. The Art of Homebrewing - Video by the owner of Sam Adams showing the steps of homebrewing beer. Seeing as I will have my equipment in hand this weekend, I shall be well on my way to being tanked a brew master. (Sidenote: This guy seems pretty cool. Perhaps I’ll try some Sam Adams tonight.)

So to you, Brendan Flowers, I say: Don’t make supercilious statements or warn of the “dangers” of other genres besides your own (recycled) style. Besides, if you keep it up, I’m telling the Smiths/Cure/Yaz/Erasure that you’ve been repackaging their sound for three years.