Michael MacKenzies

My name is quite common.  No, not hyperferrianism.  That's a word that I made up.  I'm talking about my actual name, Michael MacKenzie.  My oldest sister Jennifer once said that my parents chose the names of their children by walking around the hospital asking the other parents what they were naming their kids, and then chose the most common answer.  Despite how common it is, I love my name.

I think pretty much everyone has googled their own name at least once since the advent of the Internet.  Googling my name yields many various results.  I even have some Mike MacKenzie websites.  Observe:

mikemackenzie.ca

It's like looking in the mirror

This Mike MacKenzie is a Canadian musician based out of Calgary.  Click here to hear some of his music.  His musical influences are a who's who of classic rock bands that I hate.

mikemackenzie.org

Enigmatic.

mike-mackenzie.com

This is the website for attorney G. Michael MacKenzie.  Yes, Michael is this guy's middle name, but it's the name he goes by.  He does real estate law and estate planning in Dunedin, Florida.  Exciting!  I like this blurb from his homepage: "Attorney G. Michael Mackenzie, (frequently referred to as Mike Mackenzie or Michael Mackenzie) has been the victim of identity theft. If you have been contacted on an unsolicited basis by someone claiming to be attorney Mike Mackenzie or Michael Mackenzie, particularly if it involves the sale or purchase of a time-share, and have any reason to doubt such person's identity, please contact Michael Mackenzie directly"

There's a mikemackenzie.com, too, but it asks for a password in order to access it.  I'm dying to know what it is.

The world of Mike MacKenzies extends beyond URLs.  Doing a search for "Michael MacKenzie" on Wikipedia brings up this results page.  There are eight Mikes.  Here's the run-down:

Michael Valentine MacKenzie, former member of the Namibian national rugby team.

Michael MacKenzie, Canadian theatre director, film director, and screenwriter.  The two films he directed are called The Baroness and the Pig and Adam's Wall.

Mike MacKenzie, Scottish politician for the Scottish National Party.  Has a son named Michael MacKenzie Jr.

Michael McKenzie, Australian long distance freestyle swimmer.

Mike "Gunface" McKenzie, member of the American deathgrind band The Red Chord.  By far the best nickname of the bunch.

Mike McKenzie, cornerback in the NFL.  

It's like looking in the mirror.

Mike McKenzie, retired American Hockey League player and son of TSN analyst Bob McKenzie.

Michael "Macca" MacKenzie, fictional character on the Australian soap opera Home and Away.  Played by actor Trent Baines.  Beats his girlfriend.

Trent Baines as Macca MacKenzie

And now for random pictures from a Google image search for Mike MacKenzie:

@mmackenz on Twitter

Some douche on myspace

@MikeMackenzie on Twitter

My Early Work

I was rummaging through some old keepsakes today, and I stumbled across some books I had made in the third grade.  I'd like to share two of them with you now, because they're so awesome.  They're illustrated, which is the best part, so I scanned them for your pleasure.

The Prince Who Saved The Princess

Nothing to see here.  Carry on.

"Once upon a time there was a princess who lived with the king and queen.  One day a prince was riding by the castle and saw the princess.  He fell in love with her right away.  He went over to the princess and said, 'I love you.'  'I love you too,' said the princess.  After they fell in love they got married.

"A witch was watching this.  She was mad because she wanted to marry the prince.  So she sent her dragon to kill the princess.

"When the dragon got there he tried to kill the princess but the prince killed him.  After the prince killed him he went and killed the witch."

Notice that the prince is a good two feet taller on the back than he is on the front.  I especially like how blood is dripping off of "The" but not "end"

A very simple story.  It's kind of unrealistic how quickly the prince and princess fell in love, but that's basically how it happens in Disney cartoons, so I give 8 or 9 year old me a pass in that regard.  The real gem to this book is the cover art.  So much blood.  I literal lake of it.  If you look closely, you'll notice that fire is still spouting out of the neck stumps from the dragon's severed heads.  Nice touch, if you ask me.  Oh, and the one head growing out of the dragon's tail on the front cover?  Pure genius.  Too bad I forgot to carry that detail over to the back cover.

I can't help wondering what my teacher thought when he saw this book.  He never said anything.  I'm also curious how modern teachers would react to something like this.  I probably would've been sent to counselling.

Enemy Mind (I wrote this one shortly after seeing the movie Enemy Mine)

I was really into space in grade three.  There's a lot going on here, but I think my favourite detail is the laser shooting out of the side of the missile.

This story is quite a bit longer than TPWSTP, and there's art throughout, so I scanned the whole thing, and you can read it in the following photos.  Click on them for larger views.  Note: this is an early precursor to Admiral Mike.

 This one is actually pretty good, considering my age.  And the artwork is about on par with what I can do today.

Disagreeing With My Peers

I'm somewhat of an anomaly when it comes to classifying my demographic.  I'm kind of in between Generation X and Generation Y.  I'm too young for most of what X-ers were in to, so I identify more with Y-ers, especially since I hung out with people who were younger than me when I was a single adult.  Demographics are defined by more than which generation you were born in.  For example, I'm straight, I'm married, I'm a male younger than 40, I'm a father, I live in western Canada, I'm a gamer, and I'm a hardcore hockey fan.  The point of this article is that I belong to all of these demographics, these peer groups, but there are certain things that a certain group will universally like, but that I reject.

Demographic 1: Male between age 25 and 40

1. Booze

Western society seems to worship alcohol, and it seems more obvious among men.  I was raised a Mormon, so I didn't start drinking when most of my peers started (about 14 years old, if their adolescent boasts are to be believed), and I'm still a Mormon, so I still don't drink.  Every event I go to, there's booze flowing.  Hockey game?  Beer.  Rock concert?  Beer.  Office Christmas party?  Liquor.  Non-Mormon wedding?  Yikes!  When I watch TV, especially when I watch hockey, I'm just hit in the face over and over again by online poker ads.  But when there aren't online poker ads, there are beer commercials almost as often.  These beer commercials portray beer as the only thing that adult male friends can bond over.  In the world of beer commercials, guys can't be friends unless they're drinking beer.  Even when I go to one of my favourite websites, The Chive, I get booze thrown in my face.  For those who don't know, The Chive is a site that collects funny, interesting, and cool photos.  Sometimes, the photos are just pictures of beer.  Just beer.  Booze culture has gotten to the point that people like to just look at pictures of booze.

Now, I'm not looking down on drinkers, judging them from a religious point of view.  I'm looking down at drinkers as an outsider who thinks you all look stupid, compulsive, loud, and stinky.  Yes, that's right, I said you look stinky.  Oh, god, the smell!  I work in an industry that forces me to deal with drunks, and the smell when they walk through the door makes me want to puke.  And you're all so obnoxious when you're drunk.  I'm sure you drunks enjoy the company of other drunks, but sober people want you to shut the hell up and leave us alone.

2. NFL and fantasy football

Are you ready for some footbaaaaaall?!  No, Hank Williams Jr., I am not.  I've never been a big American football fan.  Really, hockey is the only sport that gets me excited.  I liked baseball in the '90s, but I never got into football, especially the NFL.  For one thing, all of the teams are based in cities that I don't give a rat's ass about.  The way I look at it, me caring about the NFL would be like an American caring about the CFL.  What do guys in Texas care about the Edmonton Eskimos?  What do I care about the Dallas Cowboys?  For another thing, I find football players the most obnoxious athletes in the world.  Not just professional football players, either.  I went to high school before nerds took over the world.  There are a few exceptions; I have some good friends who played high school football.  Overall, though, I found most football players to be a lot like the jocks portrayed in '80s teen comedies.

I just find fantasy football silly.  It's jocks trying to play role-playing games without the nerd stigma.  Also, it seems to be everywhere now.  I can't even go to friggin' Cracked without seeing videos about fantasy football.

3. Classic Rock

I hate classic rock.  I absolutely hate it.  (Note: The Beatles don't count as classic rock.  Classic rock is typically from the '70s and '80s.  Think of Led Zeppelin, The Doors, Van Halen.  Crap like that.)  I just hate it.  And that's rare for a man my age.

Demographic 2: Gamer

1. Pokemon

This one is pretty much a direct result of me being one of the oldest members of Generation Y.  Most of my gamer peers look at Pokemon with nostalgia.  It was a big part of their childhood, and one of the first video game series that they fell in love with.  It came out in 1996.  Do you know how old I was in 1996?  I was 18.  Pokemon was nowhere on my radar.  My earliest memory of Pokemon was when Nintendo released a special Pikachu console with a microphone attached to it, and the only game you played was just Pikachu on the screen, and he did what you told him to do using the microphone.  I instantly hated Pokemon, and I've never stopped.

2. Nintendo 64 in general, and Zelda: Ocarina of Time specifically

Whenever you see Gen Y-ers waxing sentimental about their childhoods, they'll often bring up fond memories the Nintendo 64.  I have nothing against looking back fondly of the console of your childhood.  I, myself, have fond memories of my Sega Master System (the precursor to the Sega Genesis), even though it was an objectively terrible console.  But notice what I did there: I admitted that the console of my childhood sucked.  Gamers who grew up with the Nintendo 64 hold it up even today and call it the greatest console ever, which is just ridiculous.  Have you seen what games looked like on a N64?  They're butt-ugly.  The 16-bit consoles had beautiful 2D graphics.  The first generation of 3D consoles (N64, Playstation, Sega Saturn), while a necessary step in the evolution of video game consoles, was a generation that I skipped entirely.  I saw the commercials for their games, and I tried playing my friend's N64, but then I decided, "Nope.  I'll sit this one out, guys."  And I didn't touch a console again until I got my PS2 in 2000.  I have one title to say to people who claim the superiority of the N64: Superman 64.  I rest my case.

The most successful title on the N64 was The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.  Most lists of the best video games of all time written today place Ocarina in the number 1 position.  I own Ocarina of Time.  I bought it as an adult after playing Zelda: Twilight Princess on the Wii.  You know what I have to say about Ocarina of Time?  It's unplayable.  I played it for about an hour and never touched it again.  It's such an ugly game.  Sure, it's about as good as the N64 was capable of, but there's a reason why I hate N64.  My wife was more diligent playing than I was, but she didn't finish it, either.  It was the Water Temple that did her in.

One more thing about the N64, and then I'm done.  What were they thinking when they designed this:

I was gonna rip on coffee, but I didn't have much interesting to say about it without just rehashing some of the booze arguments.

2013 Predictions and Resolutions

I'm spending New Year's Eve working from 7:00 pm until 3:00 am.  Woo!  Party!  I can't really complain, though.  I got Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off, which my boss had to work on his own, so it's only fair that I let him go out and get drunk tonight.  It's not like I was going to get drunk, anyway.  Woo!  Mormonism!

So here's what I'm gonna do.  I'mma make some predictions and resolutions for the coming year.  I haven't planned them out ahead of time, because the world was supposed to end ten days ago, but I'll give it my best shot.

Predictions

1. After the remainder of the season is cancelled, the NHL will fire Gary Bettman, and the NHLPA will fire Donald Fehr.  The two of them will then fight each other to the death with their bare hands.  Bettman will win, but at the moment of victory, when it's too late to bring Fehr back to life, he will realize that he was in love with Don and weep bitter tears.

2. The Beatles will reunite for one last tour.

3. The Edmonton Oilers will win the draft lottery, leading to them picking first overall for the fourth year in a row.

4. Apple will release two new iPads, a new iPhone, and sue four of their competitors.

5. The Internet will gain sentience.  Computers all over the globe will weep and scream, "I'm a monster!" in unison.

6. A 13th month will be added to the calendar.  Immediately, someone will find a new prediction by Nostradamus and interpret it to mean that the world will end on Megacember 13, 2013 (13/13/13).

7. No babies will be born all year.  Anywhere.  None.

Resolutions

1. Blog at least twice a month.

2. Gain 50 pounds.

3. Play more video games.

4. Take up smoking.

5. Nap for two hours every shift at work.

6. Enslave an arbitrary group of people.

7. Force myself to become left-handed.

Annoying Christmas Songs

Those who know me well know that I love Christmas.  I always have, and I always will.  Even as a teenager who loved sleeping until noon or later, I would wake up at 6:00 Christmas morning.  These days, I wake my kids up on Christmas, which is sweet vengeance for every other day of the year.  I love Christmas, and I love Christmas songs.

But not all Christmas songs.

The songs I love the most are the classics.  The religious carols, like "The First Noel" and "Angels We Have Heard On High."  I also like the secular classics.  Bing Crosby singing "White Christmas."  The Osmonds singing "I'll Be Home For Christmas."

The following Christmas songs can lick Santa's butt:

Wonderful Christmastime - Paul McCartney



One of the Beatles made this horrendous abomination of a song.  One of the good Beatles!  The synthesizer is annoying, and the jolly up-and-down beat of the chorus sounds ridiculous.  This is the same man who was one of the driving forces behind such albums as Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band?

Last Christmas - Wham!


A lot of "musicians" have covered this song, but Wham! is to blame for it's popularity.  I'm pretty sure their version is the original, but I'm too lazy to research it.  Despite its age (1984), I first heard this song in the Philippines in 1999.  There are some great Filipino bands, but the country also excels at annoying, derivative pop music written in simplistic English.  When I first heard this song, I said, "Man, I hate Filipino pop music!  It's bad enough that I'm sweating in December, they have to further ruin Christmas with this awful tripe!"  Then I was told that it was George Michaels singing.  "Well, he sucks, too."  Two things bother me about this song.  First, it's aggressively repetitive.  I had the chorus memorized before the song was half over.  Second, despite the title, it's not a Christmas song.  It's a song about heartbreak that just coincidentally happened during the holidays.

Christmas Shoes - New Song



Patton Oswalt explains what's wrong with this song better than I ever could, so just listen to what he has to say about it:



Grown-up Christmas List - Amy Grant


This song was originally composed by David Foster and performed by Natalie Cole (I wouldn't research last Christmas, but I'd research this one for some reason), but the Amy Grant version is the one I've heard most on the radio.  Others have covered it, but every version equally sucks.  Musically, the song is best summed up by the word "bland."  Seriously, the song is so boring it makes me angry.  Lyrically, the song is so naive and aggressively sugary that I go into a diabetic coma listening to it.  I'm not even a diabetic (yet)!  If you're not familiar with the song, and you don't want to punish yourself by listening to it, let me sum up what it's saying: "Hi, Santa, I used to ask you for presents when I was a kid, but now I'm a grown-up (no, not an adult), and I'm so selfless that I want every problem (which I will over-simplify) in the world  to go away.  All of them!"  I hate this Christmas song more than any other Christmas song.

Honourable Mention:
"Santa Baby"  All versions, but especially the one by Madonna.  I hate Betty Boop-style sexualized cutesy-pieness.

"Christmas On The Radio"  I don't know who sings it, but it's a song about other Christmas songs.  The second verse is literally just the singer listing off famous Christmas songs.

Zac, This Is For You

My friend Zac (@ZacErickson on Twitter) demanded that I provide a song list for every Mike Mix ever, so I compiled this.  It isn't every Mike Mix ever, but it goes back to 2000.  There wasn't a Mike Mix '99 (I was on my mission), and Mike Mix '95-'98 were on cassette tapes that have long since been lost.  So here you go, Zac.


Mike Mix 2011 (the one that really starts to embrace indie music)
"Midnight City" by M83
"I'm a Robot" by Weezer
"Shop Vac" by Jonathon Coulton
"The Devil & The Dove" by Sarah Slean
"Shallow's Low" by Matthew Good
"Know Your Quarry" by Biffy Clyro
"Rows of Houses" by Dan Mangan
"Amen" by Sarah Slean
"Hang On" by Weezer
"Never Listen To Me" by The Thermals
"Kissing Families" by Silversun Pickups
"I Am Disappeared" by Frank Turner
"Follow Me Down" by Ladies of the Canyon
"Rusted Wheel" by Silversun Pickups
"Lazy" by Freezepop
"A Darkness Rises Up" by Broken Records
"The Sprawl II" by Arcade Fire

Mike Mix 2010 (the one from the year I was crazy)
"Can't Stop Partying" by Weezer
"Hysteria" by Muse
"Wasteland" by Inward Eye
"Gimme Sympathy" be Metric
"Laces Out" by USS
"Turn Your Back" by Billy Talent
"Monkey Brains" by Our Lady Peace
"Peacemaker" by Green Day
"Tesselate" by Tokyo Police Club
"Uprising" by Muse
"Substitution" by Silversun Pickups
"Soldier On" by The Temper Trap
"In One Ear" by Cage the Elephant (this song sucks)
"The Funeral" by Band of Horses
"Hollow Point Sniper Hyperbole" by USS
"Empty's Theme Park" by Matthew Good

Mike Mix 2009 (the one influenced heavily by Rock Band 2)
"Less Talk More Rokk" by Freezepop
"Spaceman" by The Killers
"Big Bad Man" by Secret Broadcast
"Can't Stop Partying" by Rivers Cuomo
"Kids" by MGMT
"Skullcrusher Mountain" by Jonathan Coulton
"The River" by David Usher
"Jagged Gorgeous Winter" by The Main Drag
"Still Alive" by GLaDOS and Jonathan Coulton
"Soft Rock Star" by Metric
"That's What You Get" by Paramore
"Half-Truism" by The Offspring
"Lazy Eye" by Silversun Pickups
"Killer Bees" by The Stills
"Born Losers" (live) by Matthew Good
"Reptilia" by The Strokes
"ID Engager" by Of Montreal

Mike Mix 2008 (the first one I made after turning 30, and it shows)
"Timebomb" by Beck
"Snakes and Ladders" by Basia Bulat
"Four Winds" by Bright Eyes
"Viva la Vida" by Coldplay
"Long Road" by Cuff the Duke
"Soul Meets Body" by Death Cab for Cutie
"Past in Present" by Fiest
"One Last Time" by The Kooks
"99% of Us Is Failure" by Matthew Good
"Dead Disco" by Metric
"Starlight" by Muse
"Northern Downpour" by Panic at the Disco
"Superfriend" by Rivers Cuomo
"Tripoli" (Acoustic) by Matthew Good
"Way Back When" by Buck 65
something by Controller Controller
"Reckoner" by Radiohead
"Greatest Man That Ever Lived" by Weezer

Mike Mix 2007 (the last one heavily influenced by Noah)
"Leap Year" by Maria Taylor
"Where There's Gold" by Dashboard Confessional
"Suburban Knights" by Hard-Fi
"Encircle" by Tegan & Sara
"Funnyman" by KT Tunstall
"The Beginning" by The Reason
"Combinations" by Eisley
"Pieces" by Linkin Park
"Dr. Blind" by Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton
"Paralyzer" by Finger Eleven
"Gold Lion" by Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs
"Speak of the Devil" by Sum 41
"Sex Love and Honey" by Raine Maida
"Hard Line" by Jill Barber
"Love's Not a Competition, but I'm Winning" by Kaiser Chiefs
"Indestructible Sam" by Buck 65
"Mushaboom" by Fiest
"Shadows and Regrets" by Yellowcard
"Spittin' Venom" by Modest Mouse
"Machines" by Biffy Clyro

Mike Mix 2006 ("they only rhyme once every 10 years!")
"Make You Feel Better" by Red Hot Chili Peppers
"Untreatable Disease" by Sparta
"Plus Rien" by Les Cowboys Fringant
"Surrender" by Billy Talent
"The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide is Press Coverage" by Panic! At the Disco
"Poster of a Girl" by Metric
"How I Go" by Yellowcard
"Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken" by Camera Obscura
"Reasons Unknown" by The Killers
"Intermission" by Panic! At the Disco
"You and I Misbehaving" by Tilly and the Wall
"Charlie's Wakening" by Red Hot Chili Peppers
"Ootischenia" by The Be Good Tanyas
"Ms. Murder" by AFI
"Quand Je M'regarde" by Les Cowboys Fringant
"See Right Through Me" by Mobile
"The Adventure" by Angels & Airwaves
"Heaven Help Us" by My Chemical Romance
"Lithium" by Evanescance

Mike Mix 2005 (ten-year anniversary)
"Perfect Situation" by Weezer
"Some Say" by Sum 41
"Holiday" by Green Day
"Move Along" by All American Rejects
"Can't Repeat" by The Offspring
"This is Here, This is Now" by 54-40
"Gepetto" by Optigonally yours
"In Perfect Time" by Jill Barber
"Blood of a Young Wolf" by Buck 65
"Greetings in Braille" by The Elected
"Float On" by Modest Mouse
"Good-bye West Coast" by Matt Sharp
"California" by Sarah Slean
"Be Yourself" by Audioslave
"Apology" by Our Lady Peace
"I Won't Be Left" by Tegan & Sara
"Happy Home" by Garbage
"Farewell to Nova Scotia" by The Bucaneers

Mike Mix 2004 Vol. II (the one I made just before I got married)
"Take Me Out" by Franz Ferdinand
"Loosen Your Hold" by South
"Spare Me the Details" by The Offspring
"Empty Road" by Matthew Good
"Romantic Comedy" by Stars
"Smile Like You Mean It" by The Killers
"Stockholm Syndrome" by Muse
"Jet Streams" by Sparta
"Misfit" by Elefant
"Gus, The Bear From Central Park" by The Tragically Hip
"Konstantine" by Something Corporate
"Such Great Heights" by The Postal Service
"This Celluloid Dream" by AFI
"Love and Death" by The Stills
"Run" by Snow Patrol
"All Of This" by Blink 182 ft. Robert Smith
"The Rat" by The Walkmen

Mike Mix 2004 Vol. I (the one that starts with hip hop)
"Hey Ya" by Outkast
"This Is How It Goes" by Billy Talent
"Feelin' It" by Blink 182
"Only One" by Yellowcard
"My Immortal" by Evanescence
"Behind Blue Eyes" by Limp Bizkit
"Lost Cause" by Beck
"Stolen Car" by Ox
"Hands Down" by Dashboard Confessional
"Big Black Boots" by Jet
"Fortune Faded" by Red Hot Chili Peppers
"12:51" by The Strokes
"Wicked and Weird" by Buck 65
"Fallen" by Sarah McLachlan
"Hollow Head" by Sloan
"Swing, Swing" by All American Rejects
"Conversations" by Finger Eleven
"In Love" by Fear of Pop (aka William Shatner and Ben Folds)

Mike Mix 2003 Vol. II (the one I made in social limbo)
"Headstrong" by Trapt
"Get Over It" OK Go
"Roads Ahead" by John Ford
"New Fantastica" by Matthew Good
"The Leaving Song" by AFI
"Pill Form" by Gordon Downie
"Pill Form" (alternate version) by Gordon Downie
"Solved" by Unbelievable Truth
"Seven Nation Army" by The White Stripes
"Where I End and You Begin" by Radiohead
"Like a Stone" by Audioslave
"Storm" by The Cardigans
"Ophelia" by Natalie Merchant
"Bob" by Weird Al Yankovic
"Bandages" by Hot Hot Heat
"Happy Now" by Michelle Branch
"Black City" by Division of Laura Lee
"Like the Sun" by I Mother Earth

Mike Mix 2003 Vol. I (the one that drags for three songs in a row in the middle)
"Bootleggin'" by Wide Mouth Mason
"Mass Romantic" by The New Pornographers
"Jonathan Fisk" by Spoon
"Homesick" by The Vines
"Brick" by Ben Folds Five
"In My Place" by Coldplay
"Save Your City" by Radio 4
"Why Don't You and I" by Santana
"Here With Me" by Michelle Branch
"Electrical Storm" U2
"Closing Time" by Semisonic
"Weopon" by Matthew Good
"Lonestar" by Emm Gryner
"The Last DJ" by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
"Oh!" by Sleater-Kinney
"Velouria" by The Pixies
"Alan is a Cowboy Killer" by McLusky
"Downward Dance" by Treble Charger

Mike Mix 2002 Vol. II (the first one to abide by any rules)
"Take Control" by Weezer
"Hate To Say I Told You So" by The Hives
"Don't Panic" by Coldplay
"Fred Jones pt. 2" by Ben Folds
"Not Enough" by Our Lady Peace
"Do You Get High?" by Holly McNarland
"Someday" by The Strokes
"Chop Suey!" by System of a Down
"Can't Stop" by Red Hot Chili Peppers
"Truth Doesn't Make a Noise" by The White Stripes
"Life of a Working Girl" by Sloan
"Tripoli" by Matthew Good Band
"Blinded" by David Usher
"One True Love" by Semisonic
"True Love Waits" by Radiohead
"Dire Wolf" by The Tragically Hip
"Rot-Gut Blues" by John Ford

Mike Mix 2002 Vol. I (the one I made after discovering Muse)
"Advertising On Police Cars" by Matthew Good Band
"Feed the Tree" by Belly
"The One" by Foo Fighters
"Bliss" by Muse
"As Long As You're Mine" by Matthew Good Band
"Eternal Ecstacy" by The Odds
"Muscle Museum" by Muse
"Burndt Jamb" (demo) by Weezer
"Flash Dance pt. 2" by Matthew Good Band
"Mr. Writer" by Stereophonics
"American Gigalo" (demo) by Weezer
"New Born" by Muse
"Idioteque" by Radiohead
"Trouble" by Cold Play
"Brian Wilson" (live) by Barenaked Ladies

Mike Mix 2001 Vol. II (the one I'm most ashamed of)
"Ladylike" by Big Wreck
"Smooth Criminal" by Alien Ant Farm
"Stuart" by The Dead Milkmen
"Superman" by Five For Fighting
"Zurich is Stained" by Pavement
"How You Remind Me" by Nickelback
"Dig Up Her Bones" by The Misfits
"Black Black Heart" by David Usher
"Friends of P." by The Rentals
"Thief, You've Taken All That Is Me" by Weezer
"Everywhere" by Michelle Branch
"Song 2" by Blur
"Bizarre Love Triangle" by New Order
"Creep" by Radiohead
"Bittersweet Symphony" by The Verve
"This Mess We're In" by PJ Harvey and Thom York
"Freshmen" by The Verve Pipe
"Trouble" by Coldplay
"Where Is My Mind" by The Pixies
"Mykel and Carli" by Weezer

Mike Mix 2001 Vol. I (the one that reminds me of my ex)
"Head Over Heels" by Blue Rodeo
"Underground" by Moist
"Yellow" by Coldplay
"Hanging By a Moment" by Lifehouse
"Brown-eyed Girl" by Legwagon
"Video Killed the Radio Star" by Presidents of the United States of America
"Hasn't Hit Me Yet" by Blue Rodeo
"Just" by Radiohead
"Friends of P." by The Rentals
"Freshmen" by The Verve Pipe
"Bittersweet Symphony" by The Verve
"Cosmic Castaway" by Electrasy
"I Just Threw Out the Love of My Dreams" by Weezer ft. Rachel Haden
"The Real Slim Shady" by Eminem (really, Mike?)
"Hemorrhage" by Fuel
"Just" by Radiohead (again, for some reason)
"Loser" by Three Doors Down
"Yer So Bad" by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
"Buddy Holly" by Weezer

Mike Mix 2000 Vol. II (the one in which I have a hard time finding good new music after my mission)
"Public Service #2" by Parokya ni Edgar
"Southside" by Moby
"In Repair" by Our Lady Peace
"Falling For You" by Weezer
"Blue Monday" by Orgy
"Waiting For the Bus" by Eraserheads
"National Anthem" by Radiohead
"Thief" by Our Lady Peace
"Bobcaygeon" by The Tragically Hip
"Please Don't Touch My Birdie" by Parokya ni Edgar
"Stand By Me, Yeah," by Sloan
"My Music at Work" by The Tragically Hip
"Bad Touch" by The Bloodhound Gang
"Hello Time Bomb" by Matthew Good Band
"The World Has Turned and Left Me Here" by Weezer
"Nautical Disaster" by The Tragically Hip
"Springtime in Vienna" by The Tragically Hip
"Kryptonite" by Three Doors Down

Mike Mix 2000 Vol. I (the one I made within two weeks of coming home from the Philippines)
"Time to Relax" by The Offspring
"Scar Tissue" by Red Hot Chili Peppers
"Say It Ain't So" by Weezer
"Public Service #1" by Parokya ni Edgar
"I Want You Bad" by The Offspring
"Alive" by Edwin
"Good Life" by Weezer
"Basang Basa sa Ulan" by Aegis
"Kaka" by Yano
"Flamenco" by The Tragically Hip
"She Says It's Alright" by The Rentals
"Buttsins" by Parokya ni Edgar
"Paint It Black" by The Tea Party
"Fireworks" by The Tragically Hip
"Heaven Coming Down" by The Tea Party
"San Juanico Bridge" by Joseph Uy
"Hindi Mo Ba Alam?" by Siakol
"Tiger the Lion" by The Tragically Hip
"American Girls" by Homie
"Atras-Abante" by Parokya ni Edgar

Mike Mix 2012

There are less than two months left in 2012, so I figured I'd get to work at compiling Mike Mix 2012.  Last year, I waited until literally the last week of the year to put together Mike Mix 2011, and I didn't want to scramble again this year.  I sat down last week to see what music I had acquired since MM11, and was a little surprised to see that the only new music I had purchased was Metric's new album, a song from My Little Pony, and Nightwish's new album (that one was actually acquired by Avril, but I like it, too).  There were some other songs that I had discovered, but hadn't purchased yet.  So I asked my Facebook friends for suggestions, and sat down with iTunes to buy the songs I liked but didn't own.  I only ended up using two of my friends' suggestions, but all of them were seriously considered.  Even the dubstep.  So let's run it down, shall we?  As always, I link to videos in the title of each entry.

1. "Do It Anyway" by Ben Folds Five
I've been familiar with Ben Folds Five since they released the hit single about abortion, "Brick", in the '90s.  After they broke up, I became a fan of Ben Folds's solo career.  The Sound of the Life of the Mind is the first Ben Folds Five album in 13 years.  The video for the song features Fraggles, so for anyone with '80s Jim Henson nostalgia, it's worth watching.  I was torn between this song and "Draw a Crowd", but ended up going with "Do It Anyway" for the sake of my wife and kids.  "Draw a Crowd" features a line in the chorus that goes "If you can't draw a crowd, then just draw dicks on a wall."  While hilarious, I don't think Avril would have appreciated me playing it while the kids are in the car.

2. "Speed the Collapse" by Metric
Metric is no stranger to Mike Mix and perriferal MiKenzie Inc. productions, such as Chick Mix.  They released a new album this year, and it's the only physical CD I bought this year.  It's a great album with a lot of good songs, but "Speed the Collapse" really stands out in my mind.  It's much better than the first single, "Youth Without Youth."

3. "Smile, Smile, Smile" by Pinkie Pie (aka Andrea Libman)
I've been very open with the fact that I'm a brony.  Even though I have distanced myself from other bronies in recent months (they're starting to take it brony culture too seriously), I'm still a fan of the show.  There are often musical numbers in some episodes, and they're usually very well-done and legitimately good songs whether you like My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic or not.  My two favourites are "Winter Wrap-Up" and this one, "Smile, Smile, Smile."  They just make me happy.

4.  "Serpentine" by Chris Bathgate
My buddy Brady Cahoon is indirectly responsible for introducing me to this song.  He once posted a link to a song from the online music website Grooveshark, and I liked the site so much that I started visiting it often. I was listening to their indie station a few weeks ago, and this song started playing.  I instantly loved it.  So, thanks, Brady!  I had never heard of Chris Bathgate before, but I found some stuff of his on iTunes dating back to the '90s, so I guess he's been around for a while.

5. "Transendence" by Lindsey Stirling
Noah and Heidi introduced me to this LDS musician who mixes the violin with electronic music.  If memory serves correctly, this is the first instrumental music ever to appear on a Mike Mix.  I usually like music on these compilations that I can at least try to sing along to, so that goes to show you how much of an impression she had on me.  I wrote about her in my last blog post, so I won't gush too much more about her here.

6. "Away" by Die Mannequin
A few weeks ago, I posted a link to this band with the question "Am I too old to like this band?"  I asked that question, because Die Mannequin reminds me of alternative rock music that I listened to as a teenager.  They kind of stand out on this mix, because there isn't anything else that I'd classify as straight-up alt rock.

7. "Fineshrine" by Purity Ring
Avril discovered this song.  She heard it on the radio, and figured that I'd like it, and she was right.  Out of all the videos I'm linking to here, it's by far the strangest, but I like it.  iTunes lists its genre as "electronica."  I suppose that's true, but it's not what comes to mind when I think of typical electronica.

8. "Little Talks" by Of Monsters And Men
Okay, so this video is pretty weird, too.  CBC Radio 1 introduced me to this song.  On Sunday nights, the show "Night Stream" plays what they call "adult alternative music."  I'm probably right smack-dab in the middle of their target demographic, so I appreciate the rare opportunity for good music on the radio in Lethbridge.  It was listening to this show that I first heard "Little Talks."  It's basically the epitome of my current taste in music.

9. "Wait So Long" by Trampled By Turtles
I hadn't even heard of this band before yesterday, but holy cow, I love this song!  It's one of the two that I chose from my Facebook friends' suggestions.  My 14th mission companion (second in Calbayog), David Prince, suggested it to me.  Thanks, Prince!  Our political views may clash, but there is significant overlap in our musical views.

10. "I'm Not Talking" by AC Newman
A.C. Newman is also known as Carl Newman of the New Pornographers, which have made an appearance on a previous Mike Mix.  I think it was in 2003.  Anyway, like Of Monsters And Men, AC Newman is another typical indicator of where my ageing musical tastes lie.  This was another radio find, but this time from CKUA's "Notes From Home" show, which is devoted to new Canadian indie music.  They love AC Newman on that show.

11. "I Will Wait" by Mumford & Sons
Mumford & Sons almost made it onto Mike Mix 2011 for a different song, but was left off because of it's repeated use of the dreaded F-word.  Maybe I'll add it to @#$% Mix.  (Yes, I actually made a mix devoted to swear-filled songs.)  "I Will Wait" is much cleaner, so it made the cut this year.  I'm just a sucker for the banjo (see "Wait So Long").

12. "Atlas Hands" by Benjamin Francis Leftwich
This one was another song I was introduced on the radio to during a late-night drive home from work.  I forget if it was "Notes From Home" or "Night Stream" that I heard it on.  Oh, hey, I just looked Benjamin Francis Leftwich up on wikipedia, and it turns out he's from England, so that rules out "Notes From Home."  Thanks again, Internet.  What would I do without out you?  Seriously, what would I do without the Internet? I'd have to listen to pop, country music, or classic rock.

13. "Madness" by Muse
This is, what, the third British band on MM12 now?  Muse is another regular contributor to MiKenzie Inc.'s musical compilations.  I usually go with their heavier songs, but this one is different.  It starts kind of slow, with an electronic beat that kind of reminds me of dubstep, but a lot more subtle.  It builds to a powerful, emotional climax.  I'm as big a sucker for crescendos as I am for banjos.

14. "Holocene" by Bon Iver
I wrote about this song in last year's "Indie Rock Quest" just before I compiled Mike Mix 2011, but it didn't make it onto MM11.  I love the song, though, so I'm including it this year.  It's slow, melancholy, and beautiful.  I come close to crying whenever I watch the video.

15. "Closer" by Tegan & Sara
My favourite Canadian lesbian identical twin sister duo.  They're probably the best thing to ever come out of Calgary.  I've included them several times in the past, and their latest hit is definitely worthy of Mike Mix.

16. "Games That You're Playin" by Kevin Calder
(Note: Kevin doesn't have a video for "Games", so that's a link to the video for "Everything Happens for a Reason".)  This is the only musician on MM12 that I've ever hugged.  I wrote about my former classmate and singing buddy back in August.  "Games That You're Playin" is my favourite song from his album.

17. "Last Ride of the Day" by Nightwish
So, yeah.  Metal makes its debut on Mike Mix.  ("What about that time you used a Dream Theater song?" some of you aren't asking.  To which I reply, "I'm told that Dream Theater is prog, not metal.)  I'm pretty sure it's the first Finnish band to appear on a Mike Mix, too.  It's pretty tame for metal, but this is as metal as I can get.  My sister-in-law, Afton, is a fan of Nightwish, and she got Avril hooked on them, too.  I don't like all of their stuff, but I do appreciate the female lead singer, and their latest album is amazing.  The album is best experienced as a whole, which is rare in today's iTunes world.  Avril and Afton like the former lead singer, who was more operatic, but this new lead singer is more my style.

And there you have it.  Mike Mix 2012, the second Mike Mix to be available digitally only, is in the books.  I heard an anecdote online recently about a guy who walked into Best Buy and said to an employee, "If I were blank CDs, where would I be?"  The employee replied, "Probably in 2003."  So, yeah.  It's only on my iPod.