Part 2: Who Taught You How to Throw the Dick Down the Stairs!

It may sound weird to many when I say, "Blink 182 is probably the closest to the Beatles I'm gonna get." What? Did I hear you right, Grgas? Blink 182? Aren't you the guy who went through an avant garde jazz phase? Aren't you the guy who was into Glen Kotche's solo drum record? In fact, didn't you buy that?

Grgas, you're a straight up snob, man. This proclamation goes against everything you've ever said!

Ah, c'mon! I'd say. That's not true. I am quite frequently an asshole, true, and I like what I like and I will most definitely let you know that you don't know what you're talking about if you don't know what you're taking about, but my tastes are certainly not restricted to what is respected by the critics or to some idea of high art over fodder for the masses. If I like it, I like it. End of story.

So it makes perfect sense that I feel as if Blink 182 are my Beatles. The Beatles are my Beatles, too, but they were gone long, long before I was even a glint in my father's eyes. Blink's what I grew up on. They've informed me during a time when they were still forming themselves, growing as I grew. They aren't like The Beatles where I discovered their music and it's like opening up a time capsule - a timeless one - but still a capsule.

And so it began. The "What's My Age Again?" video really reeled me in, right at the same time I was digging "All Star" by Smash Mouth. Why do I mention this? Because, much to my shame, I decided to buy the Smash Mouth CD over Blink's "Enema of the State"! Yes, I knew it was a poor decision as soon as I made it, but I made it for some fucking reason, what's done is done, what -

Whatever. That video was hilarious and I was the perfect age for it, I think seventh grade, so like 13, probably closer to 14 because I remember getting into Blink in the summer between seventh and eighth grades.

And since then I've loved them. I have consistently returned to each one of their albums. Cheshire Cat for the exuberance and pure joy and hate in the songs; Dude Ranch for the perfect craftsmanship of emotionally pitch perfect tunes of such character; Enema for the catchy tunes that you gotta sing along with; Take Off Your Pants and Jacket for the evolution, the maturity; and the self-titled has a few good tracks on it, but it's OK.

I could wax rhapsodic on each of these albums, but here are three main things that have kept Blink as my second favorite band of all-time:

1) Humor. Every song is funny in some way, or at least 85 percent of them. They don't take themselves seriously but they still manage to convey so much emotion - Blink 182 has a catalogue that, song by song, hits closest to my heart, consistently. They bring me back to an earlier me, but that younger me is still a part of me, now, and the songs have only increased in meaning as I have grown to understand what it is about those songs that made me feel as I did when I was younger.
2) Mark and Tom. Both in the songwriting and their singing and playing. Simple but affective lyrics, infectious melodies and little pretension. They remind me of a Lennon/McCartney duo, Tom more Lennon, Mark more McCartney. The chemistry between them is dynamite - it's what drives the band. Their voices and sensibilities clash and adhere perfectly. It's luck - or fate - that made this band as great, the meeting of two musical soul mates.
3) Friends. I have been very close to a few friends for my entire life and Blink is - if push came to shove - the soundtrack of our friendship (Weezer is damned close). It may just be the way I view it - I haven't really asked them if they agree - but that's enough. Blink really is the perfect soundtrack for us; the humor, the vibe, the speed, the personality - perfect. And even as more people came into this fold, as close as any other, of course they loved Blink as much as we did. This is the real reason I love Blink. It reminds me of great times with great people. Something truly shared.

OK, I'll end it there. Stop three on my magical journey. In summation: Blink is the best. Naysayers be damned, there isn't too much to say against this bad, I think. Immature? Maybe. But other than that, I think they're as close to perfection as I'm gonna get. Sometimes you can't choose what you like, you just like it. And that's fine by me.