Delayed Reaction

I have been totally and completely and utterly infatuated with '80s indie music lately. I was too young to be aware of most of these bands when they first came out, having been born in 1978 and not having any older siblings or cousins around to expose me to this great music. But now that I'm immersing myself in the music, I can't believe I didn't discover it after-the-fact at least by high school. I suppose that's what I get for going to a conservative, all-boys Catholic high school: shitty Warren G albums and fossils like the Allman Brothers and ZZ Top.

To my credit, I wore out my tape of R.E.M.'s Green album when I was all of 11-years old. I didn't understand it at all, but I intuitively figured out it was good. But it wasn't until Nirvana exploded into the mainstream that I really started paying attention to music. As far as I could tell, Nirvana was my generation's Beatles: this insanely popular band that turned into a cultural landmark. They were the soundtrack in my life as I started making out with girls, driving, and sneaking into bars. But, despite R.E.M.'s "college rock," old U2 "post punk," and my obsession with Nirvana -- the band that took the indie rock/punk/alternative/hardcore ethic to huge mainstream proportions, I never did my homework. I was so close to discovering a history of great music if only I listened to Peter Buck praise the Replacements, or more obviously, pay attention to Kurt Cobain's awe of the Pixies. Hell -- I even listened to The Cure's "Friday I'm in Love" everyday in 8th grade, but then ignored their really interesting stuff and spent my few dollars on MC Hammer CDs.

So now, 20 years later, I'm finally getting around to the Replacements, Minutemen, Chameleons, Dead Kennedys, Joy Division, The dB's, Mission of Burma, Camper van Beethoven; and the bands that preceded and influenced them: Talking Heads, Television, New York Dolls.

And I can't believe these guys weren't huge. How is it possible? How are they not on the radio? I can't figure this out.

And then I turn on the radio and hear the Goo Goo Dolls, Good Charlotte, Linkin Park. And I realize when you're eating at McDonald's, don't expect a porterhouse steak.