Speaking strictly to the indie-rock genre, I haven't been excited about the future of music since the (second) British Invasion circa 1982-84. Almost every band I cared about at Coachella was from Europe, mostly the UK. While the U.S. is spitting out crap-pop like Clay Aiken and Kelly Clarkson, the rest of the world had been injecting us with innovative, edgy and inspired sound that quite frankly, we're not worthy of. I've heard and read that a lot of the rap, hip/hop and techno/dance music that is coming out of the states is pretty good, but I wouldn't know. I don't listen to this type of music.

I've heard of the band My Chemical Romance, but haven't listened to any of their tracks. But now I'm thinking maybe I should after reading an article in this month’s Spin magazine. MCR's front man Gerard Way lists his influences with oft-cited goth fare such as Rocky Horror Picture Show, and comics Sandman and Preacher, but he also lists Phantom of the Paradise, a crazy as f**k Brian De Palma film from 1974.

I discovered this movie when I was 16 working my first job in a video store. It stars 70’s prolific musical mini-man Paul Williams and freakstrordinaire William Finley. If you haven't seen it, watch it. If you've never dropped acid, do that, then watch this film, as I'm sure it would make it all the better. It's just by coincidence that I happen to already have this movie in my Netflix queue, it having come up during my search for the recent Phantom of the Opera release (which is very good by the way, except for some of the singing).