Word: humdrum
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...these myths and folktales exist? Why are they so powerful? The reasons are twofold; we want to explain the unexplainable, and we want to believe the unbelievable. We want the opportunity to contemplate something other than the corporeal humdrum of everyday life. We want the vicarious thrill of hearing an answer to our most outrageous queries of What if? "The X-Files," then, can be seen as our filtration of mysticism through a more modern lens, with the paranoia of government conspiracy and the growing fears associated with the introduction of technology such as the Internet serving as appropriate...
Until a few days ago, Ben Sobol (Billy Crystal) was just an ordinary, humdrum, neurotic psychiatrist whose lot it was to aid those more neurotic than he. But he had the misfortune to rear-end a Mafia vehicle and to view the contents of its trunk. The driver of the car, a clay-faced hood known only as "Jelly" (Joe Viterelli), told Ben to forget the insurance. Forget any of it ever happened. Forget there was a man laying bound and gagged in the trunk...
...aimlessly around Europe, I put down that I was studying French, in which I was fluent. How truthful was that? My daughter rolls her eyes when I order bouf bourguignon. These incidents, embarrassing though they be, fall within the acceptable range of victimless embellishment, those exaggerations that burnish a humdrum existence, amuse our listeners or impress a potential employer. A resume is a sales document, and some puffery is tolerated. Family weddings would be duller if Uncle Joe were limited to the small fish he caught...
...classics. It's unrealistic to expect the crew to muster the energy of their hey-day, but it's disappointing nonetheless. The title track is more experimental than exciting, and "So What!" is too cerebral for it's own good. The excellent "Hard Charger," from the otherwise humdrum Private Parts soundtrack, alas, would have been a more than welcome addition. Both new tracks have spark, though, and certainly don't amount to mere filler. As to the unreleased tracks, they're a fascinating look at a previously unseen side of the band. "My Cat's Name is Maceo," an unreleased...
...puzzle, in other words, that could take years to solve. And that's what Purcell and others find most exciting. The Milky Way--so familiar and in many ways so humdrum--still hasn't lost its ability to surprise...