I was walking home the other day and a Liz Phair song that I always loved was going through my head, and I realized that I might not know where maturity comes from or starts, but some small bit of it begins to metastasize the moment this line:
"Weave my disgust into fame / And watch how fast they run into the flame"
stops being a suitable candidate for your email signature/facebook whatever and starts making you feel really sick to your stomach that you ever thought it was clever in an un-totally-ironic way. This is the only absolutely true maturity metric I can think of. When I moved to NY in 2000, that line was my email signature. Today it seems like either a brilliant parody of the bravado and skewed values of the American twentysomething, or something very sad about Liz Phair. Probably both.
I just went and looked at my old diaryland profile, not updated since '03, and these were the quotes that I thought defined me then. Kind of goes along with my point:
"If you really want to make it, then you must
remember this: If it isn't penetration, then it isn't worth the kiss."
-Pedro the Lion
"There's a light that never goes out, burning a hole inside of me." -Built to Spill
I'll still stand by that second one, whatever it means. Anyway, I just wanted to say that stuff about that Liz Phair line. The end.
Someone's turning old tomorrow.
Posted by: Stephanie | March 11, 2008 at 04:22 PM
I think that's just about exactly right!
Posted by: lindsay | March 11, 2008 at 04:31 PM
During last week's puppy kerfuffle I was going to come to your defense with: "Doesn't everyone remember when Lindsay's diaryland used to say 'if there isn't allatration then it isn't worth a kiss'?" but then I decided it would be too insidery. Clearly I missed my opportunity.
Posted by: adam | March 11, 2008 at 06:06 PM
Just great...Now I gotta take the Liz Phair line off my email signature.
Posted by: Josh Rosen | March 11, 2008 at 06:13 PM