Great moments in music journalism

Okay, I'm not going to go so far as to call this the first in a series, because after all, we ARE talking about rock critics and the like. But I couldn't possibly let these accomplishments go unrewarded.

Every year, I'm reminded that I should have been looking forward to The Onion's annual "Least Essential Albums" feature. And while the less-than-kind words about temporary Van Halen stand-in Gary Cherone's new band Tribe of Judah are amusing, the clincher is when pop singer Jessica Simpson is referred to, and I quote, a "pneumatic white-bread pseudo-strumpet."

Then, sometimes, an unlikely source will surprise you. In this case, it's the "hip" version of the Chicago Sun-Times, Red Streak, which yesterday featured a column by Mike Dahaney where he, somewhat indirectly, laments the recent passing of The Clash's Joe Strummer. Tracing the effect of punk rock, he arrives at the current state of alternative rock, where he identifies as part of "it's own set of tired cliches," the existence of "bands with lead singers who sound like Cookie Monster." No doubt that will generate some angry letters from Disturbed fans among Red Streak's target demo of hip young people, except that I doubt many of them are reading it.