Since this is my first column for the Mirror I thought I would introduce myself to anyone who cares. My name is Brian and I'm a senior in high school. I've been playing guitar for about five years, I'm no JP but I am fairly decent. DT have been a great source of inspiration to me since I was in 8th grade and I've seen them three times. (Not a lot, I know but I am still young.) Enough with the crap here is what I have to say. (I promise no more stuff about myself.)

      Why did the 80's rule and the 90's do not. Before you break your computer let me continue. I am talking popular music, top forty stuff. I am not a fan of this genre, but I am sick of this bullshit, limp wristed crap they call music today. Dream Theater, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Metallica (live), Page and Plant, Rage Against the Machine and whoever else I forgot, are still doing great things today but they are not my problem. My problem lies with bands like Bush, Matchbox 20 and the other popular music of today. Pop music is not supposed to be anything too demanding, for it's main purpose is to please the masses, but we can do better than this. In the eighties the big bands were people like Skid Row, Whitesnake, Queensryche, and White Lion. While I'm not saying these bands were phenominal (except Queensryche) they were much better than Puff Daddy. The music sounded huge, it had actual guitars in it, and, can you believe it,guitar solos! We all know it all got mundane towards the end and every band sounded similair, but I would still rather turn on the radio and hear "Every Rose has it's Thorn" rather than a Hole song or something. People also knew how to appreciate a talented musician. Could you imagine hearing someone on "empty vee" say a phrase like," did you hear that guitar solo" or "I love that double bass part". Now all they talk about is the video's director and the artists look. I think that the whole alternative scene is becoming what the late eighties became, boring and dull. I can't see any other band lifting us out of this barren cave than our boys. They keep getting closer with each album, I thought "You Not Me" or "Hollow Years" would do it but the mindless masses just don't get it. But they will give them time.

"Live another day,Fly a little higher"
~Brian T.