Project: Blog Different

September 23, 2009

Non-Dairy Creamer

Filed under: Uncategorized — Josh @ 12:14 pm

This post may end up being a bit silly, but I listened to Third Eye Blind’s “Non-Dairy Creamer” this morning, and I feel like blogging about what different lyrics in the song mean to me, because A:) I don’t really know what the band meant by all the words, B:) because music is about personal connects, and C:) I can certainly be just as narcissistic as the next blogger!
So, here goes:

They call it KFC
‘Cause it’s not really chicken
Hot Cheetos for breakfast
Make a young student sick

First off, I love KFC. I know its terrible for you, but it tastes fantastic. Second, it is really chicken. The whole them changing their name thing to KFC from Kentucky Fried Chicken is a myth. Regarding Cheetos, I’ve never been the biggest fan. I’ll eat them, but never my go-to snack. I’d like to think I ate pretty well as a student, got my vegetables most of the time…although there was elevensies. Named after the 11 AM meal enjoyed by Hobbits in Tolkien’s books, my friends and I would head down to the dining hall at 11 PM for a final snack before it closed at midnight. Often consisting of fried food. No wonder I gained some poundage at college.

Did you ever think someone’s trickin’ you… you, you, you?

Most of the time really. For being a skeptic, I’m pretty gullible!

And the guy in the pulpit
Is a bigot and a liar

Generally my feelings on organized religions as a whole. Obviously generalizing here though. It’s just the idea of one person leading a large group or mass of people with one singular message that bothers me. Well, that and the fact that organized religion has been the number one impediment towards progress in America in my lifetime (which I realize is only twenty three years thus giving me a pretty limited period to work with, although I like to think I understand American history pretty well anyway).

Some kid walks into my school and opens fire

Pretty hard to believe it’s been like ten years since Columbine. I think people snapping is one of the scarier things in the world. The media pushes that we should be scared of terrorists and the swine flu. I’m far more scared of a random person snapping after having a rough day and shooting up a room I’m in or cancer. I think a little more attention by parents and peers could go a long way. My bad, I’m wrong, it had to be the video games :p

Heard any good jokes lately?
‘Cause we sure do need ‘em

It seems like 2009 was a pretty depressing year as a whole. Not really for me personally, just for the world. Soooo many celebrity deaths, family members of friends dying, illness among people I know, healthcare being held up by lies and ignorance, economic devastation (although hopefully getting better?), and on a far less important note, the Mets being terrible. Humor helps though. I heard a song on the radio yesterday, Regina Spektor’s “Laughing With”. I’ve only heard it once, but it seems to be about how nobody laughs at god when they’re at war, or in the hospital, etc, but when you take a look at the world, it’s pretty clear god has a sense of humor (to quote Kevin Smith: just look at the platypus). I think a good sense of humor, at least a good joke every now and again is important. Smiling is important. Laughing is important. Especially at yourself.

My punk band’s called Operation Iraqi Freedom

Exactly. You have to be able to laugh at things, even when their rooted in the negative. In this case a war with zero redeeming qualities which has marred any sort of hope for a region we were only just getting done messing up a decade or so earlier.

What’s it gonna be?
Are you real to me?
Or are you non dairy… creamer?

My first thought while reading the chorus was actually to Catcher in The Rye, a book which I really detested through high school while most of my peers were all about it. Holden’s whole obsession over people who are fake, who’s real, and what’s the difference definitely still stands strong in my mind even years later though. Maybe I should revisit the book.

A new love is burning up with me
‘Cause 1 in 4 American girls has an STD.

I really like the double use of burning here for both love as a fiery thing, but also you know, physical burning from said std. I wonder what the numbers are for American boys?

And you can buy yourself some implants
But you can’t buy a soul that never launched

With your chest pumped out
What are you so afraid about?

What are you so afraid of?

Quite true Mr. Jenkins, quite true. (singer and main writer for 3EB).

I have no issue with implants perse, but some people certainly get them for the wrong reasons and it doesn’t matter how your body looks if said soul isn’t there. The whole song goes back to the idea of what is real, and the relationship between portrayal and reality. Yes, you can look stunning, and hide behind that fact, but it’s not gonna change who you really are. Just the same as how you can have an amazing soul, and be thought of as merely a physical appearance.

What’s it gonna be?
Are you real to me?
Or are you non dairy… creamer?

Second time around, my brain went real literal. Every time I would (and well, still do) go with my mom to get lunch or any meal really, she orders a coffee and always insists on real milk as opposed to non-dairy creamer. For a while this kinda frustrated me as one more nuisance to bug waiters about, but now I definitely see the appeal in real milk, cause well, non-dairy creamer is gross.

And two gay guys got married
And brought the family to its knees
How did they blow us to smithereens
Just a couple of queens
How did they do it
I’ll tell you now
They brought marriage to an end

While it’s depressing that so much of the country feels this way, it really is laughable that so many people are worried that gay people getting married threatens their own marriage. I mean, I get that it’s just a front, and what they really feel is that their relationship is more valid/important than those of the LBGTQ community, but the fact that their defense is this just is absurd. Especially hearing Sarah Palin during the election cycle while her prego daughter and Levi Johnson (can’t believe I remember this kid’s name) are being shotgun wedding’d. Or were being shotgun wedding’d. I guess not anymore.

And I’ve found myself some culprits

It’s two young gay… REPUBLICANS
Young gay republicans
Young gay republicans
Young gay republicans

I geniuinely wonder what would happen if the GOP evolved to a more youthful, tolerant, still economically conservative, less crazy socially conservative party. Would it make the world better? Would it reduce the DNC’s numbers? I know they’re trying to get hipper, but so far that’s just been humorous