If TBS is very funny, then my life must be, like, fucking hilarious!

Find that I found: Simon Joyner/Mountain Goats split 7 inch (Sing! Eunuchs, 1994). Carved into this plastic would be the Joyner classic "Burn Rubber," a track which houses within its lo-fi glory some of Joyner's best imagery and finest melodies (and also featuring [perhaps?][please?] a little Hebrew harp): "Mosquitoes are not vampires;" "Get behind the wheel, stay in front of the storm;" "The sugar bowl is full of ants." The track not only evokes childhood, but also comes from a younger, hapless, anxious-greater man. Contrast with the current Cohen-drone-Joyner and you can slap your face until you admit defeat to time. "Flouride" could be no longer than 2 minutes. It is a proper cool-down to its only slightly more satisfying predecessor.

Comparatively, the Goats side seems trite. Darnielle's voice, so accesible and clear, strumping around like a whore, oozes pop and catch. "Going to Tennessee" and "Pure Heat" are decent, certainly less offensive than "Best Ever Death Metal Band out of Denton," but they call for music that requires more of an investment - both from the artist and the listener. On a cuter note, the packaging for the 7 inch still directs all Mountain Goats mail to Shrimper. Sigh, dreamy.

Of course Sing! Eunuchs (ran by Joyner and Chris Deden) is now dormant, having handed the torch to Unread Records, a Chris Fischer joint. The only thing the 7 inch really needs is the trademark artwork of Fischer, which I place among the best of any album art. A pity.