Desert Island Discs

* Pavement, Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (1994): "You're the kind of girl I like, because you're empty, and I'm empty." Yeah, that sounds about right.

* Bob Dylan, Highway 61 Revisited: If you don't take Blood on the Tracks, you don't have Bobby getting all nervous as his love bends down to tie his shoelaces. Without Blonde on Blonde, there's no Sad-Eyed Lady. But I think, more than anything, you need Cinderella putting her hand in her back pocket, Bette Davis style.

* Yo La Tengo, Electr-O-Pura: When I was a freshman, Yo La Tengo played the Silliman dining hall, and Georgia Hubley was mulling around in the common room beforehand. I shuffled up to her and shook her hand. Taking a deep breath, I said, "Painful is, like, one of my favorite records, and I really love Electr-O-Pura too, and I'm so glad you guys could come to Yale, and everyone I know is so totally excited that you're here." She smiled and nodded patiently and murmured something unintelligible, and I shuffled quickly away.

* Television, The Blow-Up: The brittle, high-strung energy of Television's studio efforts was even better expressed in its unique live act, captured faithfully here. The Blow-Up is airtight and perfect, yet it still sounds like spontaneous combustion.

* R.E.M., Fables of the Reconstruction: This is the saddest record ever made. No matter how alone you feel on your island, this album will be lonelier than you are.

* Pixies, Surfer Rosa: There were rumors he was into field hockey players.

* Magnetic Fields, Get Lost: "You don't even like anything you like, or the people you know." I have a friend exactly like that, and I would definitely miss him.

* Beatles, Revolver: They were never so damn sexy as this.

* Sleater-Kinney, Dig Me Out: Not just rock, but rawk.

* Hüsker Dü, New Day Rising: Big, fat, sweaty rawk.

* Galaxie 500, Today: A record like a movie. I would miss my VCR.

* Guided by Voices, Bee Thousand: Some of my favorite people are from Ohio.

* The Modern Lovers, The Modern Lovers: My only quarrel with this record is I bet Pablo Picasso did get called an asshole, at least in New York.

* Belle and Sebastian, If You're Feeling Sinister: Think of it this way: you could either be successful or be them.

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