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Foreword Diorama  (Eleven/Atlantic, 2002) by the Australian alternative rock band Silverchair (of "the water out of the tap is veeeeery   HARD TO DRIIIIIIIIINK " fame) is an intriguing listen. Dare I say it, because of its then-novel approach to furthering the shape of alternative rock to come and laying future groundwork in a manner not too dissimilar to De-loused in the Comatorium , Rated R , and Origin of Symmetry , it's, in this author's opinion, one of the best albums ever made. With reinvigorated and increasingly complex songwriting from Daniel Johns and Ben Gillies, with some songs being written as far back as 1998 ("Without You," "The Lever"), and a plethora of orchestral additions from art pop innovator/the King of Acid Alliteration Van Dyke Parks, this album transforms itself from the album where the post-grunge boy band finished growing up into a genuinely exhilarating work of the New Prog subgenre. Through Johns and Gillies' mo...

Part One: My History with Comedy I never really got into listening to stand-up comedy until around 2007, when a friend from youth group, Kyle, let me listen to his iPod on the way down to Panama City Beach, where our summer camp retreat was. I had heard about this comedian Mitch Hedberg mostly from my own curiosity regarding my favorite soft drink at the time, Mr. Pibb, and what its history was. I mean, I knew it was a Dr Pepper knockoff, but what spurred the Coca-Cola Company to create such a niche competitor? Why make a 23-flavor soda with more cherry and cinnamon than usual? Why was it still a competitor despite being a joke whenever it was mentioned? And by the way, who in the hell was this Mitch Hedberg and is there anything else to that Mr. Pibb college degree joke? Kyle had an admirable selection of music on his iPod - music that would later shape my own tastes regarding post-hardcore, Christian rock, and classic rock; stuff that I recognized from another person'...