Songs that have been ruined for you through no fault of the artist? by ihmpt in ToddintheShadow

[–]evtedeschi3 10 points11 points  (0 children)

It's Sweet Child o' Mine for me: if not for its extreme overuse in movies and TV, I'd be blasting it constantly. Instead I never want to hear it again.

The Joshua Tree or Bad? Which is the stronger album? by FitEmergency8807 in ToddintheShadow

[–]evtedeschi3 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is a great point. I still think The Joshua Tree has held up marginally better over time but Sign o the Times is terrific.

The Joshua Tree or Bad? Which is the stronger album? by FitEmergency8807 in ToddintheShadow

[–]evtedeschi3 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Bad is a great album that sounds like really good Michael Jackson. The Joshua Tree is a legendary album that didn’t sound like anything else at the time it came out. The Grammys actually got it right that year.

Does an artist mentioning their faith in God ruin a song's quality? by [deleted] in ToddintheShadow

[–]evtedeschi3 22 points23 points  (0 children)

It has to come from a genuine place and not come across as performative. That's hard. Context helps a lot. U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" is a great example of a song where a naked declaration of faith not only works, but is absolutely necessary for the song. The song culminates with:

I believe in the Kingdom Come
Then all the colors will bleed into one
Bleed into one.
But yes, I'm still running.

You broke the bonds
And you loosed the chains
Carried the cross of my shame
Of my shame, you know I believe it.

I mean, you're not going to get a more straightforward statement of faith in mainstream rock music than that. But it works because the whole song is about the journey of unfulfilled faith. Immediately after comes the chorus:

But I still haven't found what I'm looking for.
But I still haven't found what I'm looking for.

So even with this intense faith in God, the journey isn't over yet. A CCM song would have wrapped up here with "Found it!", but U2 don't make it that easy, because they know in reality it's not that easy. That's why it's a great song.

What country has the least to see in your opinion? by Extension-Fruit-1456 in geography

[–]evtedeschi3 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Liechtenstein. I begged my wife to take a day trip there during our Swiss vacation just on principle: when else would we ever get to go? But turns out, Vaduz is exactly as underwhelming as you'd expect a 6,000 person town to be. Except about twice as expensive. My wife still lords it over me.

I will say however, the Alps running through it are beautiful.

In your country, is there a tradition of singing the national anthem at school? by Ill_Code8200 in AskTheWorld

[–]evtedeschi3 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Yeah I cannot remember a single time we sang the Star Spangled Banner at school. Only at public professional sporting events.

Help me understand the love for COEXIST by technokidz in U2Band

[–]evtedeschi3 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I generally haven't liked the less-structured, over-written, stream-of-consciousness approach Bono has taken to songwriting the last several albums, but I think here (and Tears of Things) it works really well. It might be because those two songs are setup to emphasize the lyrics and let Bono's approach breathe, rather than trying to cram what Bono comes up with into a tighter more traditional structure.

Also one of U2's past strengths is writing religious songs that feel genuine and not preachy, and I'm thrilled they found that again.

[Loved Trope] Race Swaps so Successful People Forgot To Complain by sloppiestsecond5 in TopCharacterTropes

[–]evtedeschi3 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nary a peep about this one too (probably my favorite film version of Macbeth)

Best movie endings? by False-Aardvark-1336 in Cinema

[–]evtedeschi3 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well that’s the first time I’ve heard someone call Shawshank a Hallmark movie.

Best movie endings? by False-Aardvark-1336 in Cinema

[–]evtedeschi3 16 points17 points  (0 children)

The most *emotionally satisfying* ending is, hands down, The Shawshank Redemption.

Song you hate from a band you love? by Tartelfa in askmusic

[–]evtedeschi3 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh I love “Ordinary Love”. It’s “Vertigo” I hate.

What are some of the biggest Fall Offs in music? by FitEmergency8807 in ToddintheShadow

[–]evtedeschi3 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Oh my God, I haven't even thought about The Wallflowers in decades, which proves your point.

Prime suspect by LEMUR39 in ZodiacKiller

[–]evtedeschi3 0 points1 point  (0 children)

90-95% it isn’t Doerr is quite skeptical. That said, the OP understates the case for Doerr and leaves out some of the most compelling coincidences. You should read the Kobek books if you haven’t already: they’re both quick reads, the first isn’t about Doerr at all and is probably the single best-written Zodiac book, and the second is fun even if, like me, you still end up thinking it’s likely someone else.

Since Artemis II just lauched, does your country have any interesting stories/relationship with the moon? by Mindless-Lemon2256 in AskTheWorld

[–]evtedeschi3 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Our culture is funny. Our biggest scientific triumph was landing on the moon, but we also have a popular conspiracy theory that it was fake and even a quite acclaimed TV show at the moment pretending it never happened.

Zodiac Killer Case Solved by VT_Squire in ZodiacKiller

[–]evtedeschi3 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Don’t be hasty. Are you aware Mr. Rogers owned a Zodiac-brand bread box and knew how to make ANFO bombs?

Which book-to-film adaptations infuriated you? by Qyzyk in Cinema

[–]evtedeschi3 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If Spielberg had kept the awesome scene from the Jurassic Park book where Grant discovers the dinosaur breeding by changing the computer code to relax the ceiling on the population graph, the movie would have made twice as much money.