Sting on "Money For Nothing" by Dire Straits.

Sayers was probably the most "literary" of the four, while Allingham had the best sense of humor. All four have had excellent TV dramatizations of their work (e.g. The Inspector Alleyn Mysteries (Marsh), Campion (Allingham), and Lord Peter Wimsey (Sayers)).

Of the "Big Four"—Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham—I think Marsh is the best overall writer. Christie's plots often relied on some absurdities and her characters weren't all that well-developed. That doesn't mean Christie was a bad writer, just that she wasn't as good as Marsh.

The Future Is Unwritten soundtrack by Joe Strummer.

• The Beatles - "Yer Blues" (mentions Bob Dylan)
• The Clash - "1977" (mentions The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Elvis Presley)
• Television Personalities - "Part-Time Punks" (mentions The Clash, Siouxsie & The Banshees)

> What should I listen to?

Whatever music you enjoy, no matter how "old" or "new" it is. Not continuously finding "new" music doesn't mean you're in a "slump". Asking internet strangers for music recommendations seems forced, not a natural way to find something you like. How did you discover you liked Radiohead and Smashing Pumpkins? My feeling is if there's music out there that you'd enjoy then you'd find it on your own eventually; no need to force things.

See this thread.

The Surfaris - Wipe Out

1. Bob Dylan
2. Joe Strummer / Mick Jones
3. John Lennon / Paul McCartney
4. Ian Curtis
5. Shaun Ryder

The Clash - Broadway

I'm sure you're incapable of seeing the irony of your tone. And who said anything about "mainstream"? There's plenty of good mainstream music.

I'm sorry you have trouble with people expressing how they honestly feel. Good luck trying to force your neutered language on others.

I never claimed it did. The OP asked us to judge him so I gave my honest judgment. That's not being a jackass. If the OP doesn't want people to say how they honestly feel and only wants compliments then he/she shouldn't ask a bunch of internet strangers to judge him/her. The true jackasses are those who have trouble with honesty.

I prefer Marsh and Sayers to Christie.

You would think that supposedly well-read people wouldn't need to be hit over the head with the /s, but here we are.

> or you're idiot

Irony.

You're dull and have terrible taste in music. No offense.

I really like the Smash Mouth cover of "Do It Again". In fact I bought the soundtrack years ago just for that song.

I think most people who know about them can agree that their first 4 albums—up through Black Sea—were brilliant, but after that opinion is divided. English Settlement (1982) was the start of their "pastoral" change in musical direction, which I wasn't a huge fan of. They still had some good songs here and there from that point on (e.g. "Dear God" from Skylarking), but I don't think on average it matched their earlier quality. I do think their early stuff was better than Talking Heads.

• A - ABBA
• B - The Beatles
• C - The Clash
• D - Bob Dylan
• E - Electric Light Orchestra
• F - The Fixx
• G - Gang of Four
• H - Happy Mondays
• I - INXS
• J - Joy Division
• K - King Tubby
• L - Little Richard
• M - Madness
• N - New Order
• O - Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
• P - Carl Perkins
• Q - Quarterflash
• R - Roxy Music
• S - The Specials
• T - The Teardrop Explodes
• U - The Undertones
• V - Gene Vincent
• W - WAR
• X - XTC
• Y - Yaz
• Z - ZZ Top

Patrick Hernandez - Born to Be Alive

"Splish Splash" by Bobby Darin references "Lollipop" (Ronald & Ruby), "Peggy Sue" (Buddy Holly) and "Good Golly Miss Molly" (Little Richard).

"Yer Blues" by The Beatles references "Dylan's Mr. Jones" from "Ballad of a Thin Man" by Bob Dylan. On the same album (the "White Album") the song "Glass Onion" refers to earlier Beatles songs (e.g. "Strawberry Fields Forever", "I Am the Walrus").

Rhoda Dakar w/The Special AKA - The Boiler

It's about a woman who gets raped on a first date.

XTC - Life Begins at the Hop

John Cooper Clarke - Evidently Chickentown