Well, if you're going to do a write-up with an obscure
pipelink reference, it's really not worth it if the node you point to isn't there. I tried pipelinking to "
Forever - One Reporter's Opinion" in a recent w/u (the displayed text mimicking the
construct), but there was no "Forever - One Reporter's Opinion"!
Uh, yeah. ANyway, "Forever - One Reporter's Opinion" is a song off Mike Watt's collabororiffic "Ball-Hog Or Tugboat?". But it's more than that. An original version of that song, titled simply "One Reporter's Opinion", is a track from Mike's erstwhile band The Minutemen, from their post-punk magnum opus Double Nickels on The Dime. And, of course, there's also no "One Reporter's Opinion" node. (Heck, all DNOTD songs should be noded, at least the non-politcal ones, at least the non-political ones on LP 1, as LP 2 is self-admitted "chaff" recorded only so they could have a double album on SST Records just like labelmates Hüsker Dü had just done with "Zen Arcade".)
Minutemen reprisings on Ball-Hog are not unique to this track. "Intense Song for Madonna to Sing" is titularly reminiscent of "Political Song for Michael Jackson to Sing", which was off Double Nickels. "Drove Up From Pedro" is a line right out of "History Lesson--Part II".
Anyway, the song's about Mike Watt (as you'll see soon, I promise), but, on the Double Nickels version, Minutemen frontman d. boon (R.I.P.) sings. And on the Ball-Hog version, Pat Smear of Germs, Nirvana, and Foo Fighters fame does the vocals. Pat, one of many, many guests on the album, holds the last note for almost ten seconds.
What could be romantic to Mike Watt?
He's only a skeleton
His body is a series of points with no height, length, or width
In his joints he feels life
His strongest connection
Between the yelling and the sleep
Is the toughest riddle
He's chalk!
He's a dart board!
His sex is diseased!
He's a stop sign!
He's chalk!
He's a dart board!
His sex is diseased!
He's a stop siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiign!